The Conquering Red Dragon Emperor
by Slizzah
Summary: AU:Monkey D. Garp was never one to freak out over unexplainable events. That's why he didn't bat an eye when he turned up in Kuoh Japan. It's also why he had no problem taking young Issei under his wing. He was going to turn this brat into a monster. Haki Issei! Six Powers Issei! Harem but it will be small. IsseixTiamatxSerafallxKuroka.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: To all my fans of Naruto the Scarecrow don't freak out. I haven't abandoned it, in fact I just sent the recent rough draft to my beta. The next chapter should be out soon. I'll go more into why its late there. I wasnt originally going to do a harem story but it's freaking DxD, the personification of harem stories. I did however keep it small.**

The Conquering Red Dragon Emperor

Monkey D Garp was not a man who stressed out over strange things happening to him. He had seen some truly impressive things during his travels in the Grand Line. He had seen islands in the sky, sea kings that were taller than the Red Line and even a glimpse of the fabled Raftel during his chase after the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.

That was a why Garp didn't feel the need to freak out when he found himself in a strange city called Kuoh in a country called Japan. His long years of service with the Marines had shown Garp that things generally worked out for the best on their own. Whether it was the work of some divine being or new found Devil Fruit, Garp was probably here for a reason and he was content coasting along and enjoying his holiday until something happened; Kuoh had some extremely tasty rice crackers.

As Garp strolled on some pavement munching happily on some crackers he saw a group of children in a park. A group of three boys were facing down a boy who stood protectively in front of a snivelling girl. The leader of the boys could be heard from the other side of the fence.

"Move Hyoudou, we need to teach Shidou just how annoying she is. Telling everyone to pray to God is dumb, this is Japan!"

Garp's interest had been piqued so much he had stopped eating. He saw the other boy shake his head, "No way. Sure sometimes all the God stuff sometimes annoys me but Rin is my friend and no one hurts my friends."

"Fine, guess we'll just hurt you to!"

Garp chose that moment to act. He had a soft spot for kids and his innate sense of justice wouldn't allow him to walk away. Using Shave, he turned up behind the three boys.

Adopting a stern expression he said, "Now now kids, break it up. Don't make me tell your parents you're being brats!"

Garp had to hide a smirk. He was by no means a short person and with the amount of muscles he had gained throughout his life Garp would've appeared as a skyscraper to the young boys. The bullies bravado vanished and they quickly ran away from the monster man who could teleport.

"Wow!"

That was the voice of the boy. "That was amazing Mister! How did you do that?!"

Garp turned around and smiled. "Stuff like that is possible with hard training. It's a type of martial art."

"Could you teach us?"

It was an innocent question, one that anyone could see coming but Garp paused. Was this why he was here? Was it his mission to train this boy into a upstanding citizen and possibly join the military?

Garp mentally shrugged, this time he'd get it right, Ace and Luffy had become pirates. True Koby was a fine marine but Garp had an opportunity to mould this boy into a true powerhouse. The earlier you got training in, the stronger someone got.

"Sure kid, I liked the way you stuck up for your girlfriend there."

This time Garp couldn't hold in his laughter as the boy's face twist in shock. The boy whirled to face his friend.

"Rin, you're a girl?"

The girl in question looked both annoyed and happy. "I have been this whole time Issei, why do you think my name is Irina? Are you going to be nicer to me now?"

Issei didn't answer. It appeared that this new information had short circuited his brain. The fact that his best friend was apparently a girl was more shocking than seeing a man appear out of thin air tickled Garp's funny bone. He guffawed as he took his half finished pack of crackers out of pocket. Resuming his munching, Garp asked,

"So you're Issei and Irina huh? Well I'm Monkey D. Garp but just call me Garp. I'm not Japanese and everybody I know just calls me Garp."

Issei and Irina bowed slightly in greeting and gratitude, Garp had saved them after all. Once that was done Garp said, "Alright, let's start your training now. Warm up by running laps until I finish these crackers."

The kids quickly set off; it appeared as though awe had set in once they processed that he had indeed appeared to teleport. After three laps Issei looked over at Garp to how many crackers were left but as it turned out Garp had pulled out a new packet and was eating those.

Issei turned to Irina, his words coming in short gasps. "Do...you think...we should say something?"

Irina shook her head. "He's kinda like my dad. Garp said run until he's outta crackers and he's not out yet."

She looked to be in better condition than Issei, something that slightly irked him but he didn't say anything. Issei nodded and focused back on his running. Unknown to both kids Garp had used his Observation to listen in on the brief conversation.

_'The girl's father trains her as well huh? I wonder what for? Oh well, she has a good head on her shoulders and Issei seems a good kid. Might as well finish this bag quickly.'_

Old age and a dressing down from an irate navigator had shown Garp just how extreme he had been training Luffy. This was his chance to change his training methods but still have good results.

xXx

Touji Shidou didn't quite know what to make of the situation. He had expected to find his daughter and her best friend playing some game in the park not shadow boxing while a tall man barked corrections at them while eating rice crackers.

"You there, what are you doing with my daughter?"

A touch of hostility entered Touji's voice. He was very protective of his family and what kind of man hung out at a public park with someone else's children. The man turned but Touji noted that no surprise appeared on his face. That either implied that he know who Touji was or already knew he had been approaching. How interesting.

"You must be Irina's father. Well they wanted to know what martial arts I used after I intervened and stop three boys from beating her and Issei. Oh and call me Garp."

Not turning his back on the man, Touji called his daughter to his side. In a quiet voice he asked her, "Don't you remember what I said about trusting strangers? How do you know he's a nice man?"

In an equally quiet voice she said, "I remember dad but Garp did help us. Garp didn't try and get us into a car and he didn't tell us to keep it a secret. He's not acting like a bad guy."

Touji kept back his sigh. Irina was a bright girl but she truly had taken the Lord's teachings to heart. Still, Garp wasn't raising any supernatural red flags. Touji was an experienced Exorcist and had dealt with his fair share of Fallen Angels and Devils but Garp wasn't exhibiting any of their typical mannerisms.

Returning his voice to normal volume, he said, "Issei, it's home time. I'll walk you back. Garp, I'm sure both my wife and Issei's parents would be interested in hearing more about these bullies and your martial arts."

xXx

Garp was wondering exactly what he should say. Ordinarily he wouldn't worry about the consequences and just say the truth; that being that he was from a different world but his future role as Issei's mentor hung in the balance. Something told Garp that neither set of parents would react favourably with the whole truth. Luckily he had been here for about a month and had plenty of time to learn about this new world; the internet was so helpful. At least the kids were in Issei's room, they couldn't contradict anything he said considering that he had been honest with both of them. Garp wasn't sure how much of his tale they believed but none of it would sound good to an adult.

"Well I'm a retired Marine who decided to come to Japan when I got cheap flights here. I was minding my own business when I saw three boys about to attack your kids. I stepped in and told the bullies that I would tell their parents. The bullies clearly didn't think about the fact that I had no idea who they were or what their names were so that meant it was an empty threat but they bought it.

"As for the training , Issei just wanted to know how I moved really fast."

"What do you mean?"

That was Issei's father, Gorou Hyoudou.

"It's easier to show you, let's go to the backyard."

Garp purposefully lowered his prowess with Shave; lowering his speed enough to still be visible to the naked eye but faster than any man his age had any right to move. Despite holding back considerably both sets of parents had amazement all over their faces although Touji had a spark of renewed suspicion in his eyes.

Garp resumed his talk from the living room. "That was what I did in the park. It was one six unique styles making up what we call the Six Powers.

"I was going to teach them the basics seeing as how impressed I was with Issei's resolve to protect his friend."

Garp trailed off. He knew parents tended to be over protective and his role to train Issei might be over just as it was set to begin.

Touji turned to his wife. "Mikoto, why don't you discuss this with Gorou and Miki? I'd like to learn more about these Six Powers."

Mikoto knew about her husband's duties to the church and suspected that there was more to Garp than he had let on and that Touji would try to get to the bottom of it.

She smiled, "Of course honey. Miki, shall we prepare some tea?"

Garp could see Touji wanted a private word and once they were alone Touji turned to Garp. "Alright Garp, what's your real intention?"

Garp kept face calm. "It's as I said. Issei gained my respect by sticking by Irina even after the bullies offered him a free pass on a beating. Truly good kids these days are so rare and they should have some idea of self defence so that they don't get the niceness beaten out of them."

Touji nodded to himself. That was a better answer than before. "Alright, do you believe in the supernatural?"

"Huh?"

"God, Angels and Devils?"

"Um no. I personally only believe in things that I can see and touch."

That answered that. Garp didn't seem to have any knowledge of the hidden aspects of their world. Touji had spent years learning how to spot deceit, it was necessary when dealing with devils and he couldn't sense any from this mysterious old man.

"You said Six Powers but only showed one. What are the other five?"

"Moon walk, Finger Pistol, Iron Body, Tempest Kick and Paper Art.

"Finger Pistol and Tempest Kick are attacks so I won't teach them those. I really only want them to be able to defend themselves.

"Moonwalk is similar to Shave, it's high speed movement but in the air. Iron Body makes a user's body denser and is a good defence against attacks while Paper Art makes a user more flexible, able to dodge incoming attacks with ease."

Garp gave a short demonstration of each. Touji was awed, he couldn't sense a bit of other worldly energy from Garp so he wasn't affiliated with any of the factions. This was a pure human capable of fighting the supernatural. This was something the Church would love to know, their Exorcists were all too easily killed by their supernatural counterparts and Angels couldn't mobilise without risking open war. Something told him that Garp would be unwilling to join the Faith, the man was enjoying his retirement and freedom. If Irina could learn some of these Six Powers though, she could help train others.

"Okay, depending on what Gorou, Miki and my wife say, I'm happy for you to train my daughter. I would like to be present for the sessions though, please don't take it personally but I'm not quite so trusting as to just leave my daughter alone with a strange man."

Garp nodded, that would be fine with him. In fact he would've been alarmed if the opposite had been said.

Once Touji had given his approval it didn't take long for the other adults to come round. It was decided for the Hyoudou's backyard to be their training area and training would be three days a week after kinder garden. Garp had asked for daily sessions but the parents had put their feet down. Garp might've been known as the Hero of the Marines but even he was wary of incurring a mother's wrath.

xXx

Issei sniffed. After almost a year of training Irina was leaving Japan and leaving him as the focus of Garp's training. How could she, they were best friends! He wasn't crying because of losing his friend, he was just worried about the increase in Garp's training if he was the only pupil. No sir, he wasn't crying, nope.

"I don't want to leave Ise but dad says it's God's will. I'm sure we will see each other again!" Irina wrapped her arms around her best friend. Issei returned the hug with vigour.

"You promise?"

"Yep, I'll pray every single day until it happens!"

"Then I promise when we meet I'll have mastered everything Garp wants me to learn."

They separated and Garp smiled at Irina fondly. In spite of trying to keep himself distant, he had failed once Irina had called him Grandpa one day by accident. Garp had had a big smile on his face for the rest of the day after that and it hadn't taken long for Issei to follow suit.

That had only reinforced his desire to get things right this time. Ace had died before his time and Luffy was wild, not to mention a pirate but Issei was good. A little dorky but good down to his core.

That was why he had started both of them on the basics of Observation Haki. Both had a long way to go but they could use it. Training and time was all they needed now. His biggest regret was that he hadn't had more time to train Irina. She had a grasp on Shave and Moonwalk along with Observation but now she wouldn't learn Armament and he didn't know if she was a Conqueror.

"You take care now you hear me? You're my only honorary grand daughter after all. Keep up with your training."

Garp wasn't really one for hugs but Irina was an exception. "Bye Grandpa, don't be too rough on Issei!"

Garp shook Touji's hand before the Shidou family grabbed their bags and walked through the gate to board their plane.

It was a few days after that when Garp changed Issei's training schedule. "Alright kid, you've made good progress so now it's time to learn another form of Haki.

"Armament Haki coats your body with energy which increases your striking power and bypassing some defences such as Iron body. I hope you're ready because this will make your other training look easy."

Issei shivered but he didn't say a word. He had a promise to keep now and no training was going to force him to break it!

xXx

Odin was a god of great renown. He was the All Father, leader of the Aesir and one of the strongest beings in the universe. That didn't stop him from being a huge pervert and spreading his teachings where ever he could. That was why he could be found sitting in a park regaling a small group of children about the beauty and necessity of women's breasts. No other force in the world was stronger!

Odin smirked as he saw stars in the eyes of the boys and knew he had managed to make a new bunch breast connoisseurs.

"Issei, stop listening to that dirty old man. Besides, if you ogle women they won't like it and then you will never get closer than looking at a distance."

Odin turned his head to see a man walking over. He was old, not as old in appearance as himself but still it was obvious his best years were behind him. One of the kids who had been listening stood up and walked to the newcomer.

"Really Grandpa? So I should listen to both of you? Love breasts but not be creepy?"

The old man chopped Issei lightly on the head. "Issei your eight years old, breasts should be the last thing on your mind. Now, let's go, its training time. Anyway, I always preferred butts myself."

Odin knew he should leave it alone. He was strong and could obliterate the whole town by accident but the end of that sentence needed to be addressed.

"You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. Life giving milk for newborns comes from breasts, what comes from butts? Poop that's what."

The only other adult in the park stuck his tongue out in protest. "But you see, women can be born with generous busts without having to work for it. Truly nice butts, women need to work for them. Training, running and squats. That takes dedication most women don't have and who am I to not appreciate their efforts?"

Odin frowned. It was a good argument but breasts were almost holy. He also wasn't accustomed to disrespect let alone from a human. Odin allowed a small portion of his power to leak out, not enough to alert the nearby devils but enough for the man to feel.

This 'butt man' didn't even flinch. He instead did something strange. No holy or demonic energy got released but a strange force seemed to emanate from his body. It had a strange property, almost as if the man was imposing his own will over Odin's.

Odin allowed more of his power to leak, enough to dwarf the mans. If he wanted the man to back down he was disappointed. More of that strange 'will' was released. No human should have a power like that and it clearly wasn't a Sacred Gear. What was going on?

Before he got to the bottom of this latest mystery Rossweisse came running over. "Lord Odin! Finally, I've been looking all over for you. Please pull back your power before the other factions notice us."

His attention divided, Odin glanced at his bodyguard before returning to the man but amazingly the man had vanished. _'High speed movement without a trace of magic? He didn't have a bit of holy or demonic power so that leaves natural means as the means for that movement. The only problem is that not many people in the supernatural world can do that. He also mentioned training which implies that it's not completely normal. That boy might be a potential asset in the future.'_

"Rossweisse, when we get back assign a junior Valkyrie skilled in reconnaissance to keep an eye on that man and kid. Somethings strange about them but be clear, they are not to be hostile in any way just observe."

His curiosity was so great that he even passed up a chance to tease her in front of children.

_'Who was that man and that strange aura?'_

xXx

Issei hurried through the rain. Detention had kept him back in middle school after class and now he was late for training. If Garp stayed true to form than that meant every minute he was late would increase the difficulty of his training. As he ran a sudden burst of fear and pain smashed into the outer range of his passive Observation.

Issei truly didn't want to be any later for training but over the years Garp had also drummed into his head that so long as he had power, he should use it to help the powerless.

_'Hopefully Gramps understands. Maybe I can milk it and make this thing the entire reason why I'm late.'_

His Observation led him into the woods on the outskirts of Kuoh. Soon the sounds of fighting could be heard. In a small clearing a women was being attacked by five men with strange flashes of light.

Issei didn't try and understand what was happening, all he knew was a women needed his help. Coating his right hand in Armament, he used Shave to appear behind the nearest man. Issei then chopped the back of his neck and the force of the blow knocked the man out. The other men paused incredulous that some teenager had best one of their number.

The women used the opportunity provided and struck her nearest attacker killing him instantly. Splitting their forces, two attacked the women while the last one advanced on Issei, his sword glinting menacingly.

Issei quickly realised that he was outclassed. Observation and Paper Art meant that he was able to dodge most attacks but he lacked raw battle experience and his attacks were obvious. This resulted in a stalemate until Issei didn't react in time to a burst of energy from behind him.

Issei cried out in pain and before he could recover his original opponent's sword stabbed into his gut. Issei's world was pain as he slumped to the ground. He felt his strength leaving him.

_'Is this how I die? Seriously?'_

Even was pain over took him Issei felt intense anger. At his own weakness, at the ones who killed him and at the fact that he wouldn't see his family again.

_'No way. I can't die here, not now.'_

An intense burning filled his chest but Issei could tell if it was more pain or something else. All he knew was that he had to finish that fight so that the girl could get help. From the depths of his soul Issei felt something _begging _to be unleashed. He didn't know how but willed for it to happen.

At that instant two things happened. A red gauntlet appeared on Issei's left arm and a burst of energy left his body, colliding with every living thing around him for a hundred meters. The last three men fell unconscious and the woman staggered. All wildlife fell over from the uncontrolled burst.

The women knew that it would be wiser to keep running. Cut down her defenceless enemies and flee but this boy had helped her. She hoped she wouldn't regret this. She hurried to Issei's side and began using her healing magic. It was going well and she had just stabilised him when an angry old man appeared like a whirlwind in the clearing.

He turned a furious gaze on her. "You have ten seconds to explain why my grandson is lying there injured before I kill you."

The women froze. "These men were attacking me. Your grandson come to my aid but suffered major injuries. With a burst of energy he managed to knock the rest out before collapsing. I immediately started healing him. My name is Kuroka by the way."

The man seemed to calm, albeit slightly. "How could simple men hurt Issei? He's far superior to any person in Kuoh."

"They weren't human."

"What?"

Kuroka sighed, it was all or nothing now. "What do you know of the supernatural?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: So what did you think? I kinda skimmed over the training since hopefully readers will be familiar with the forms of haki and the 6 powers. Its also why I didn't really go into too much detail with the characters. Garp and Issei should be easy enough to picture and the Irina's family flew off to England.**

**Yes I gave Garp the ability to use Conquorers haki but that was needed so that he could teach Issei. Some people might get annoyed at how lucky Issei is here, getting both Ddraig and CoC but well it's just a story. Hopefully it's not enough to drive you away but if it is I hope you find another one to your liking.**

**Feel free to let me know your thoughts with a review. I always welcome constructive criticism. **

**Hope you enjoyed the new story!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm back with the new chapter. I'm surprised at how fast I got this one out. Goes to show just how much fun I'm having with it. It won't be immediate but I will touch up some things in the first chapter. Nothing major but just thought you might want to know. Idk.**

Chapter 2

Garp ran a hand over his tired face. It had been a day since Kuroka had explained all about the supernatural world as well as her wanted status and he was still trying to accept it. The Devils sure, he had no problem believing in them, not when humans from his own world could be called even worse. Doflammingo and Celestial Dragons were both the living embodiment of the word Devil but God? That was still a concept he had to wrap his head around.

It seemed that while the base religions for God differed from his world and this one, they both clearly meant the same being. An all loving and all powerful entity that governed this world but Garp just couldn't accept that. Where was God when all those innocents died as the World Government hunted down all the women and babies accused of being Roger's wife?

Where was God when the people of Dressrossa cried for the years while forgetting their true heritage? Where was this so called loving father for the people of Wano during their twenty year subjection?

No if there was one thing Garp couldn't accept it was the sheer perfection of this God. Either he wasn't quite as loving or powerful as claimed otherwise their wouldn't be any suffering in the world.

_'Or he could be dead and the Angels never told the people for some reason.'_

But this kind of mental debate could be held at another time, Issei was far more important. It really was good that Kuroka decided to help. Once she had healed Issei, she used magic to clean up the blood on his body following Garp back to Issei's house. The only good thing was that it was Saturday and Issei's parents had accepted Garp's excuse that Issei had to finish all his home work before training again.

Kuroka the Nekoshou had taken advantage of the Hyoudou's hospitality and after using her magic to hide traces of her presence, spent most of her time watching anime on the television. Cat people, that was a detail that Garp surprisingly had no trouble with, not with the various amounts of fish men and other people living in the Grand Line. So she had weird ears, so what? No matter what you said, nothing would ever be weirder than those weird Zoan's in Kaido's crew.

Kuroka had said she was a criminal and her attitude reflected that; cutting down her defenceless attackers before burning their bodies. All in the name of safety and now that Issei was seemingly a part of the supernatural Garp wasn't truly fussed; her actions indirectly protected Issei. In direct contrast to that behaviour he also knew Kuroka was quite kind. She didn't have to heal Issei, it would've been more prudent to continue running and blame her attackers deaths on Issei.

What was troubling was the red gauntlet that had appeared on Issei's left arm. Garp hoped his grandson would wake up soon, there was a lot he needed to explain.

xXx

Issei thought that his training with Garp would be the strangest thing to happen to him. People weren't supposed to be able to jump through the air or punch through brick without trouble but seeing a massive red dragon in front of him took the cake as the weirdest thing to happen to him, or at least so far.

**"Are you going to introduce yourself or just stare?"**

Issei jumped. The dragon could talk, who knew?

"Ah, hello. I'm Issei Hyoudou. Do you know what's happening here?"

**"Well Issei, my name is Ddraig and your consciousness is currently inside your Sacred Gear; the Boosted Gear. I am one of the Heavenly Dragons, a being so mighty I was sealed away by the strongest forces of the three factions."**

"Um, what's a Sacred Gear? I heard what you said but only understood that your name is Ddraig. Sorry."

There was a brief pause before Ddraig sighed, **"That's fine kid. A Sacred Gear is simply put a special power given to you by God, yes the one from the Bible. My soul is bound inside the gear located in your left arm and gives you access to my power. I was sealed thousands of years ago; you are just the latest in a long line of people who can wield my power. You're now the Red Dragon Emperor. I would explain more but it seems that your Grandpa wishes for you to wake up. No doubt he also has things he needs to explain to you."**

xXx

As much as he tried Issei wasn't as cool as his grandpa which was why he reacted far worse to the revelations of the supernatural than Garp had.

"What! Do you know how crazy that all sounds Gramps?!"

"Yes Ise but it looks to be true. That lady you helped, Kuroka has cat ears and a split tail. The men who attacked had Devil wings. That Red Gauntlet on your arm also proves that at the very least something odd is going on."

Issei looked at his left arm again. His Boosted Gear; the place of Ddraig's soul.

_'How do I make it turn off? I can't walk around with this thing on all the time.'_

**"Just think about your arm looking normal. If you look with what you call Observation, you should sense an amount of foreign energy that isn't yours in your arm. Will that energy into a trickle and your arm will go back to how it looked."**

_'Ddraig? You can hear my thoughts outside of dreams?'_

**"Evidently. Now focus in your arm kid."**

Issei did as Ddraig had instructed and the Gear faded away revealing his arm.

"Issei."

He turned his gaze back to Garp, "That's not the only thing I needed to tell you. You have the third and rarest type of Haki; Conqueror's Haki. This is a Haki that you have to be born with and it is extremely useful.

"You can use it to exert your will upon others and knock them out. The bigger the strength gap between you and the target, the easier it is to do. Concentrated and continuous waves of Conqueror's on an area can cause damage to it like breaking trees and buildings. It can also be used to tame or intimidate wild animals.

"Luckily for you I have it and can teach you how to use it properly. If my Grandson is about to join a world of other worldly beings capable of destroying the world than that just means that I have to make your training even more intense. Good thing your summer break is coming up, we can use all of that time to make you stronger!"

Garp finished by making a proud face and raising his fist into the air. It would've been an impressive sight if he hadn't been wearing slippers but Issei wasn't going to tell him that.

"Hey Gramps, where's Kuroka? I have to thank her for healing me."

"Oh she's either watching the telly or in the spare room."

xXx

Kuroka was having more fun than she had any right to. She had betrayed and killed her master to protect little Shirone from experimentation but after that she had been hunted near constantly. Sleeping and eating were luxuries she rarely got and relaxation was an afterthought but here in this house she found herself getting relaxed. She didn't know if that was a good thing, staying on guard had sharpened her edge and turned her already talented skills into something fierce and formidable but would she lose that if she stayed? Could she afford to put her comfort first over getting strong enough to protect Shirone?

She was lost in thought, not really watching the afternoon anime when the boy who had saved her sat down on the couch. He had undoubtedly saved her, Kuroka had been running on empty for several days with barely any sleep. The group who had managed to find her weren't truly on her level but being exhausted and starving had made all the difference. She had been convinced that her dreams to reunite with her little sister and secure the future of her race were over until a human had jumped into the fray without a second thought.

"I'd like to say-"

"Thank you for-"

Both Kuroka and Issei had started at the same time. Issei smiled, "Ladies first,"

Kuroka grinned. "Okay then, thank you. Without your help I would've died in that clearing. I don't know what prompted a stranger to leap to my aid but without it I would've perished without fulfilling my dreams. Thank you Issei."

Issei made an embarrassed face; he wasn't used to such heart- felt words. Rubbing the back of his head he said, "Well it was no problem. It's like Gramps says, the ones with power should help the powerless. Ah, that's not to say you're powerless but hopefully you get the idea. Once I saw you needed help I jumped in.

"I guess it's my time to thank you. My injuries probably would've been fatal if not for you and I really prefer living."

Issei ended that with a slightly awkward laugh. This was the longest conversation he had had one on one with a beautiful girl and he felt a strange sensation in his gut that was not quite entirely unpleasant.

Neither one of them had any idea what to say next. What did you say to someone who was so vastly different to yourself? It was at that second that Issei glanced at the TV.

"Oh hey, Magical Girl: Milky Spiral Seven is on. Do you like magical girl shows?"

"What's a magical girl?"

Such an innocent question but one loaded with risk. Fortunately for Kuroka, or perhaps less so, Issei was a closet otaku for the Milky Spiral series. The previous awkwardness was forgotten as Issei went on a slight rant about the virtues of the show and how the underlying values the main character had could be used as great life lessons.

A great amount of what Issei said went completely over Kuroka's head. The only form of entertainment you usually got in the Underworld was in televised Rating Games. Only nobility could afford to stream human television shows and Kuroka refused to watch Miracle Levia-tan on principle. That a current Satan would lower herself to act in such a way should be shameful. It was a nice outfit though it must be said.

Even though she didn't quite get what Issei was saying she liked the sound of his voice. It didn't hold any kind of anger or spite. It was open and held no deceit; Issei had the voice of an honest person. Nekoshou had a sense for truth and she could listen to it without annoyance.

Noticing Kuroka's slightly glazed expression Issei paused. He'd done it again, he'd freaked someone out with the amount of knowledge he had about magical girls.

"Ah sorry. I guess I went overboard again. Just tell me to shut up when that happens."

"No no it's fine. I don't really know anything about human shows though so maybe you should put another show on so that I can compare it to this one."

Issei nodded and started channel surfing. He paused on Drag So-Ball. That was a pretty safe bet; it was as simple a premise one could get. Punch them harder or use more energy. As the sounds of the TV went on Issei felt his eye's drawn to the Kuroka's cat ears.

"Um, Kuroka. If you don't mind my asking, what do your ears feel like?"

She didn't answer, just turned and lowered her body so that Issei could reach her ears. With a tentative hand Issei lightly stroked the soft fur. It felt nicer than any animal he had pet before, so sleek and soft. He didn't say that, it would probably annoy Kuroka. A faint purring sound rose up from Kuroka's throat.

"Are you purring Kuroka?"

Kuroka raised her face to Issei's, looking to make eye contact before speaking but she stopped when she saw his face. She tilted her head to the side in curiosity and felt his hand cup her cheek.

For his part Issei wasn't sure what had changed. It was the same face as before; maybe it was the light or the lowered angle. Maybe it was the fact that his hand was currently cupping her cheek or the way her hair now framed her face. Whatever it was, it had resonated with something deep within Issei and he couldn't stop himself.

In a whisper he said, "B...beautiful..."

Kuroka felt herself blink. Beautiful? What? Kuroka hadn't intended for this happen. She was grateful for the save but romance? Not a chance but then, well, he was the Red Dragon Emperor. If anyone could give her strong children he could.

Kuroka smiled coyly; Issei had managed to wake up her teasing and flirtatious side. Heaven knows it hadn't been used in a while.

"What was that, nya?"

Kuroka crawled across the couch until her face was right in front of Issei's.

She whispered sultrily, "I didn't quite hear you...nya."

Issei swallowed. What was happening? All he'd done was be honest and now Kuroka was right in front of him. His train of thought was getting derailed from her proximity. Issei was fair too focused on his training to have spent much time talking to anybody at middle school, let alone girls and now he had no idea what to do next.

Kuroka had no such inhibitions though, she leaned forward to kiss Issei but she was stopped by an interrupting cough. They both looked to the side seeing a grinning Garp.

"Now Issei, what did I tell you? You gotta be in high school before I let you go on dates and married before anything further happens. You disappoint your poor grandpa."

As Issei spluttered Kuroka grinned. She could tell that Garp was teasing Issei and not truly serious so she decided to have some fun with the situation. She ran a hand across Issei's chest while saying, "What do you mean by _further_ Garp? I'm not sure what. you. mean." She ended that sentence emphasising her last words with gentle pokes to Issei's chest.

For his part Garp had caught on right away. His grandpa senses had activated and he never missed a chance to tease Issei. It was never malicious and he never took it too far but Issei made it far too easy. He was such an innocent child who just happened to love breasts. Curse that random old man from the park!

"Have you never gotten the _talk _Kuroka? Well I guess I have no choice. Now when a man and a women love each other very much they-"

That was the breaking point and Issei fled upstairs in embarrassment. Garp and Kuroka looked each before they fell over laughing.

xXx

Issei was stumped. What on earth was this thing? It was gold, actual gold and curved. It could've been part of a bracelet but if it was a bracelet than it would be for a giant. It wouldn't even fit on his head like a crown, that is if it was a whole circle.

**"Issei, I believe that is a fragment of a claw ring that I stole from Tiamat. She is one of the Five Dragon Kings and harbours quite a grudge against me. I stole that claw ring from her treasure hoard in an effort to gain more strength in my fight against Albion. **

**"For a time the ring did its job but Albion managed to break it and the pieces scattered. It didn't help that we were flying at high speed and the explosions and force of our blows sent the fragments far away. **

**"Perhaps if you manage to find the other fragments, Tiamat won't be quite as angry at me and less inclined to murder my hosts."**

Issei gulped nervously. _'Did she do that often?' _A Dragon King coming after him was definitely something he wanted to avoid.

**"Unfortunately yes. The only other entity to have killed more of my hosts is Albion and his hosts. I advise collecting it all back together before facing her however. Perhaps being reminded of my transgression and with only a small piece in her hands would drive her over the edge and cause her to strike you down."**

Well now it looked like Issei had an immediate goal. The only problem was that he had no idea where to start looking. The fragments could be anywhere in the world and he didn't know how many he was looking for.

Issei looked at the fragment in his hands. It had a slight draconic energy but he could only sense the smallest trace.

_'Maybe Kuroka has an idea.'_

Issei wasn't quite sure what to call Kuroka. Best friend, girl friend? Torturer? All he did know was that she had changed ever since that incident on the couch last week. She was now constantly standing close by and once she learned the concept of skin ship from the internet never wasted a chance to engage it with Issei. Why Garp had shown her how to use the internet Issei couldn't fathom but if he was honest he rather enjoyed this side of Kuroka. She was so bubbly and full of energy.

**"Stop thinking about your girlfriend and head home. Honestly, if you didn't have Haki and the Six Powers, I would fear that you would be the weakest of all my hosts but at least you're not a blatant pervert."**

Issei jumped. _'She's not my girlfriend. Shut up Ddraig.'_

Issei hurried home. Now that he could actually use all three forms of Haki at will, Garp's training had gotten even harder and it never paid to be late.

Add the fact that he also trained with Ddraig and his gear and manipulating natural energy with Kuroka and his power was growing at an alarming rate.

Issei just hoped that it was enough to stall Tiamat long enough for him to explain that he was returning her treasure and not perish. He didn't want to part from Kuroka before fulfilling her vague promise of four, whatever it meant.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: What did you think? Was the scenes between Issei and Kuroka believable? First time writing a budding romance. **

**Nope - took out the Doffy stuff. Reasons at the end of chapter 4.**

**Training also took a back seat. I don't want to bog the story down with those details since if you are reading a One Piece and DxD crossover story you should hopefully be up to date on both. If readers know those details already, why write them in? **

**I also don't want to start a philosophical debate in the reviews. I just wrote what I thought Garp's thoughts on God might be. Just remember this is a work of fiction and has absolutly no hold over anyone's beliefs. No harm intended.**

**Let me know your thoughts. Also could use a beta for this story, not sure if I managed to catch all my errors with my proof read. If ya interested PM me.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey there, so I realise that some people didnt quite like the original version of chapter 3. I went back and reread it and I could see their points, yeah I really did rush through the story. I had always intended this to be a short story but in my goal to keep things short, I made the story worse.**

**My bad. I also used the time to think about what I wanted to happen in the story and saw a way to facilitate things in a more realistic setting. I'll go more into it at the end, don't want spoilers before you read the chapter!**

The Conquering Red Dragon Emperor

Kuroka wasn't sure how well her locater spell would work for Issei. It was designed to locate things that you either were familiar with or had some idea of what it was. Since Issei didn't know what the other pieces of this 'claw ring' looked like, she didn't know how well it would work.

Her fears soon proved to be accurate when the spell failed to show any readings. Even if the other pieces had been destroyed a negative reading would've shown; the fact that nothing happened indicated something had gone wrong.

Ddraig soon came up with an idea, "**I have a memory of Tiamat's claw ring. If you use me as the medium for the locator spell, would that work?"**

Kuroka wasn't sure, "It might work but the fact that you are in a Sacred Gear might interfere with the process. Let's try it and see."

Unfortunately, Kuroka's insights proved to be accurate and the spell failed again. Issei frowned, how was he going to square away Ddraig's debt now?

Seeing Issei's expression Kuroka said, "Well it's not all lost. We need someone who knows this piece intimately which means that if you find a way to contact the Chaos Karma Dragon and have her not strike you down, then we can locate the other pieces easily."

Though it was a solution Issei wasn't quite satisfied with it. Ddraig had said how much Tiamat hated past Red Dragon Emperors and if her history was anything to go by, he wouldn't be an exception.

_'Still, what other option do I have? I'll have to ask. Now I just need to find a way to contact the Underworld.'_

xXx

With no way to contact Tiamat, Issei was forced to put his self imposed mission to the back of his mind for the time being. His end of year exams were approaching and Issei made sure to study; he wanted good grades so that he could get into a good high school.

He needn't of worried. Issei had managed to stay in the top eight percent of his middle school and that meant that pretty much everywhere was available to him. His parents had decided that it was ultimately up to him since he had gotten such good grades and Kuroka didn't care. Therefore it was left to Garp to provide Issei with high school advice; something which Garp was grossly under prepared for.

Since high school wasn't a thing in his world, Garp suggested a military high school but Issei wasn't interested in that. He didn't know what he wanted to be as an adult but the army didn't really call to him. With that avenue closed Garp than suggested Kuoh Academy. It apparently was an all girls school that had recently become co-ed and would provide Issei some much needed social interaction with girls.

Issei didn't know why but Kuroka hadn't been thrilled when Issei had settled on Kuoh Academy. However the sly look that crossed her face after she had had some time to think about it made Issei slightly apprehensive. He didn't know what thoughts were running through her head and he wasn't game enough to use Observation at that time.

xXx

Now that he had finished his middle school graduation exams, he had two months before high school started. He had anticipated spending that time training but received a surprise when he got up for breakfast one day.

"Good morning sweetie," Miki Hyoudou said, "We've got some good news. Your father has gotten recognition in his office by writing up some new code for the company computers. His supeiors are sending him on an all expenses trip to Kyoto so that he can train all the workers at their Kyoto branch. Want to go see Kyoto for a month?"

Issei knew he was smiling as he nodded. He couldn't help it; on top of being a closet magical girl otaku he also loved history and had always wanted to see Kyoto.

Gorou spoke up, "Well we leave in two days. Make sure you're packed properly."

Over the next two days, Issei's parents ironed out all the details. They would be staying in a serviced apartment in the city centre and with just a little bit of cleavage, Kuroka had managed to convince Issei's father that she would be an excellent house sitter. Garp had said that the occasion should be for family but found himself growing teary when he found out he also had a ticket for precisely that reason.

"You are family Garp. How long have you been here, helping Issei?"

An oddly subdued Kuroka waved the Hyoudou's off from the front door. She had been on the run for so long and after finding new friends, she was on her own again. At least she had a roof over her head now and it wasn't like this was for forever.

xXx

Kyoto was awesome, there wasn't any other way for Issei to describe it. He managed to time his visit to the Golden Pavilion just as the sun rose. The sunlight reflected off the gold in an amazing display and the Sanjusangendo Temple with its thousand and one golden statues was awe inspiring. Issei could see why Kyoto was so popular for tourists, hell even he loved this city.

Issei couldn't contain his excitement and had raced up the Thousand Torii Gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine ahead of his family. In his haste and anticipation, Issei didn't pay any attention to his Observation. If he had, he would've noticed the various number of beings standing in the forest watching his progress. That in and of itself wouldn't have been all that alarming but what would've gotten Issei's attention was that there was clearly a supernatural aura about them.

Reaching the top, Issei was pleased to see that he was barely gasping for breath; training was really paying off for him. As he rounded a corner he nearly walked into someone. He quickly apologised but before he could give his excuses his brain finally registered his Observation.

The lady in front of him was beautiful almost regal in appearance. What really caught his attention was her aura, she had power! It was a good thing that her aura was calm, Issei might've started freaking out if she was angry.

"That's alright young man but if you don't mind can you answer a question for me?"

Issei nodded. Now that he had a taste of the power she had, he figured it would be a good idea to be honest.

She smiled, "Can you tell me why you saw fit to ignore the current stipulations for any supernatural being to enter _my _city? You can't be with the Biblical Factions, they know better and none of the other pantheons have much interest in Kyoto."

Issei had no idea what she was talking about. "Um, I don't understand. Stipulations? I admit I don't know that much about the supernatural, just that I have a Sacred Gear and that there was a Great War long ago."

The lady gained a thoughtful expression. "Well, if you truly didn't know than I can't fault you. Alright I'll explain what I meant. Kyoto is currently neutral ground for all supernatural creatures or youkai. I'm its current leader, my name is Yasaka. Any supernatural being needs to contact my clan for permission to enter the city limits otherwise we are within our rights to hunt strangers down. "

Issei gulped. He hadn't known any of that. _'Why didn't Kuroka mention that to me?'_

Back at the Hyoudou household Kuroka couldn't help but feel that she had forgotten something important. Try as she might she couldn't figure it out and finding the process too difficult she cast it from her mind. She was a cat after all.

Issei bowed as he said, "I'm sorry Lady Yasaka. I didn't know any of that, if you intend to attack can you please let my family leave the area first? They are normal humans and have no idea about the supernatural."

For the first time since they met Yasaka smiled. Her beauty seemed to intensify if such a thing were possible. Issei quickly noticed that he had begun to stare and looked at the ground embarrassed.

Yasaka let out an amused huff, "I believe you. You're chi, while rather stirred, isn't roiling like it does when one tells a lie. Do not fear, we won't attack someone just for being ignorant. Let's start again shall we? You know my name, what's yours? Why are you in Kyoto?"

Issei looked up again. Yasaka did have a faint look of amusement but it wasn't the same as her smile. He could maintain eye contact as he said, "I'm Issei Hyoudou. My family are in Kyoto for my dad's work. We decided to treat it as a holiday; I've always wanted to see Kyoto."

"Well I can understand wanting to come here. It's quite rich in history. Now I have to ask, are you a threat Hyoudou? My people live here in peace knowing that they escaped the tense standoff between the three factions. I can't have anyone disturbing the peace."

Issei shook his head, "I don't want any trouble. I just wanted to see Kyoto. I might get in some training but that would be the extent of anything I do on the supernatural side of things."

"In that case I bid wish you a happy holiday. If all goes well, we won't meet again. Farewell."

Issei nodded before turning when he heard his mum calling his name. When he turned back Yasaka was gone. Stretching out his Observation he was astonished to find that she was either fast enough to escape his range instantly or strong enough to suppress her aura from his senses.

xXx

The next two weeks passed without further incident. Issei had quickly realised that he probably should've spaced out all the shrines and parks since now he had nothing to do other than train. Oh well, it wasn't as if training was bad for him.

Right now he was focusing his Armament Haki into his right fist. Garp had explained that there was three stages of Armament. Standard, which was invisible but allowed attacks to hit harder. After that was Armament Hardening, which was supposed to condense the Armament down until it turned black. It hit even harder than regular Armament but Issei had yet to unlock it. As for the final form, Garp had explained that it channeled excess haki from around a user's body and allowed one to attack a short distance away.

Garp hadn't even tried to explain the advanced usage of Armament, apparently he needed to master Hardening first.

Issei felt his haki condense, it became increasingly harder to keep the haki confined to just his fist. The haki seemed determined to flow up his arm but Issei didn't relent. He had been at it for several days and he was determined to get it right today!

Issei increased the amount of haki in his fist and it turned black. He very nearly let the haki go in surprise but Garp had trained Issei hard with the knowledge that discipline was vital to progress.

Keeping his cool, Issei slowly bent over and poked the ground gently. A rather large crater formed instantly.

_'What the hell? I know Garp said it increased my striking power but this is ridiculous! This crater has to be at least two meters wide and one meter deep, from just a poke!?'_

At least Issei didn't need to worry about being seen, he had hiked his way into the nearby woods and there shouldnt be anyone nearby. Issei whirled around in shock when he heard clapping.

"Nice one! I couldn't help but notice that you didn't use any holy or demonic energy for that. Are you human?"

It was a blonde girl dressed in a girls school unifrom with orange armor on top of it.

**"Issei, I didn't say anything when Yasaka spoke since she is widely known to be kind but this girl is unknown to me. To mindful of your words, she managed to supress her aura enough to escape your notice. Perhaps you should focus more on your Observation and not your Armament!"**

Issei appreciated Ddraig's warning but he had managed to figure out this girl was different. Still, was it too much to ask his Dragon buddy to tell him that the youkai leader was apparently kind?

Issei turned his focus on his Observation as he said, "I'm human. I want nothing to do with the factions."

The girl clapped again in excitement. "That's great! Hey, wanna be friends? My name's Jeanne, what's yours?"

"Issei." He didn't feel like telling her his family name.

"Cool cool. Hey Ise-Ise, want to come meet my friend Cao Cao? He's a human who wants to prove that we are just as good as the supernatural!"

_'Ise-Ise? Did she just give me a nickname twenty seconds after meeting me? I didn't even say I would be her firend. Still that does sound interesting, humans proving they are equal.'_

Issei took a moment to really look at Jeanne. She was blonde and looked like his age, possibly older by a few years. She was also quite cute but Issei didn't let that distract him. She seemed honest enough but there was still things she wasn't saying.

"Well I'm flattered but I just want to be left alone. I really only train to improve myself not to get into fights."

Jeanne pouted when she heard Issei's response. The pout made her cuteness sky rocket but Issei focused his Observation in an attempt to concentrate.

She put her hands on her hips as she said, "Aw c'mon Ise-Ise! It'll be fun and Cao Cao is super strong. I bet he could make you a hundred times stronger than you are right now! No-one can come close the power of the Hero Faction!"

"No thank you. I want to get stronger on my own merit plus I have no interest in fighting for someone else. I like having my freedom. Still, Cao Cao has my support, humans should be better represented in the world's affairs."

Issei didn't give Jeanne time to follow him. He shot up into the sky with Moon Walk running as fast as he could. Observation enabled him to avoid pedestrian eyes until he landed behind a building. Switching to Shave, Issei took the scenic route back to the apartment, he didn't want to leave an obvious trail back to his family.

_'I hope that's the end of that but knowing my luck, something bad is heading this way.'_

xXx

Jeanne had wasted no time and used a teleportation spell to head back to the Hero Faction's headquarters. She made a beeline for Cao Cao,

"Hey Cao Cao, I found a good recruit. I think he used some advanced martial art to make a large crater in the ground with just a poke. He's a human and I reckon that he has a Sacred Gear. Issei knew about the supernatural and seemed sympathetic to our cause but didn't want to fight anybody.

"I think you should go talk to him yourself. No one says no to you."

Cao Cao twirled his Sacred Gear, the True Longinus, in his hands before setting the shaft's bottom on the ground.

"Jeanne, how much did you let slip in your excitement meeting this 'Issei'?"

She put a finger on the corner of her mouth in thought, "Um not much. Just that we wanted to prove humans were equal to the supernatural."

Cao Cao blinked. That was basically nothing, generally Jeanne became more loose lipped than a drunken sailor when she got keyed up.

"I also told him your name and the Hero Faction."

Cao Cao face palmed. That was the kind of thing he had expected Jeanne to accidently do.

"You were keeping an eye on Yasaka for me right? So this 'Issei' is currently in Kyoto? I can't risk moving into that city just yet, my plan calls for patience. Yasaka would probably sense the True Longinus entering her territory.

Go back and try to find out more about Issei, if you think it's safe, try to convince him to meet. I find myself intereseted, in spite of you blurting out more secrets. Please be more mindful in the future."

Jeanne gave an embarresed nod. She knew better but she couldn't help it, when she met interesting humans she jsut wanted to be their friend!

She took off back to Kyoto before Cao Cao could scold her more.

xXx

**"Issei, you should go talk to Yasaka about Jeanne. She might be here uninvited, especially if she is in a group dedicated to fighting angels and devils."**

_'Good point Ddraig. How should I contact her?'_

**"Try flaring your natural energy. Youkai are especially sensitive to chi and natural energy, it should attract one of her underlings attention."**

Issei did just that and just five minutes later a man with a fox mask appeared in front of him. Issei quickly explained that he wanted a word with Yasaka about a possible stranger on her lands. After a minute of deliberation, the man conjured a magic circle and both of them teleported to the meeting room of Yasaka's home. After being given a delcious cup of tea Yasaka entered the room.

Issei didn't beat around the bush, he told her everything Jeanne had told him. A part of him felt bad about immediatly betraying Jeanne's trust, the girl had seemed nice enough but between the two of them Yasaka was way scarier.

Yasaka had listened carefully without interuppng and once Issei finished she placed her arms on the table, lacing her fingers in front of her face.

"Thank you for trusting me Issei. This is disturbing news and seems to line up with what I've been hearing about a dangerous new group called Kaos Brigade. That they were already in the city indicates that you were just a chance meeting and that they had another reason being here.

"Now, can I do something for you? You helped my people without thought of reward which I think deserves one."

Issei thought hard before he got it.

"Do you have a way of communicating to the Underworld? I'd like a letter and parcel delivered to someone in the Familier Forest."

Yasaka frowned but not at Issei's request. She hadn't expected that something more along the lines of something lewd, he was a teenager after all. Oh well, contacitng the Underworld was easy enough; she'd have to find someone else to sate her heat.

"Yes, I can do that. Do you want to go there or just have some mail delivered?"

Issei paused. **"Issei, just send the letter and Tiamat's piece. Tell her that you consider the debt even. Tiamat probably won't want to meet, she'll know how to find the other pieces when she gets this one. Don't reveal you name, we don't want an angry Dragon King tracking you down."**

Issei looked at Yasaka, "Just mail. I don't think the Devil's would like a human entering their territory."

Yasaka nodded but she could tell that there was more to it than just that. However Issei had decided to trust her with his information and she chose to trust in this surprisingly honourable young man.

Issei didn't have the piece on him so he rushed back to the apartment and hastily wrote out a letter to Tiamat.

_To the Chaos Karma Dragon,_

_Enclosed is a piece of treasure that I'm sure you are familiar with. Not many would know the truth of this item or it's real purpose but I hope with this letter you can consider the sins of the past wiped away. _

_Now that you have this piece, you should be able to find the rest quite easily. Please let your grudge go and leave the lineage alone._

_Signed, _

_The Red Theif. _

That should hopefully be vague enough to throw off anyone who read it but have enough clues for Tiamat to work it all out.

With that done, Issei rushed back to Yasaka and handed over the letter with the gold piece inside a random box that reception happened to have.

The Hyoudou's time in Kyoto was drawing to a close but Issei wasn't sad about it. He had managed to see all the historical sites and even managed to solve his Tiamat problem. Everything was going so well.

xXx

Issei had been back in Kuoh for about a week when the doorbell rang. Since the only other person currently in the house was Kuroka, Issei answered the door. On his doorstep stood a stunning woman.

Her hair was pale blue and gently swayed in the breeze, her dark blue eyes locking onto Issei's with intensity. Her aura was overpowering and so _cold. _

"Greetings Red Dragon Emperor, I got your letter. Now I have a lot of things I'd like to talk about but I think you can start with why you're hiding an SS ranked criminal in your home."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Alright, so this is why I shouldnt write after staying awake for 34 hours and also why I need a beta for this story. **

**Hopefully I managed to weave more story elements that arent related to Issei into the story while also keeping things relevant. **

**What did you think of the changes? Not one hundred percent what I'll keep from what I took out of the original chapter but I do know I want the Diodora confrontation. **

**Let me know what you think. Working on the next chapter as soon as I finish this.**

**Hope you enjoyed the revised chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**STOP!**

**Important - Read this Author's Note! **

**I rewrote a huge chunk of the last chapter. I found myself agreeing with some statements and while thinking about how to fix it I got a brainwave so I changed chapter 3. Please go back and read it again, otherwise this new chapter wont make any sense. **

**Seriously, go back. Or don't you'll just end up confused.**

The Conquering Red Dragon Emperor

Issei felt his insides freeze. _'Oh shit, Ddraig what do I do?'_

**"Stay calm. Tiamat is generally a reasonable dragon and now that she has her treasure back she should hopefully be more pliable to the truth.**

**"You can't fight her, she'd squash you like an ant and if you got in between Tiamat and Kuroka then you'd just die."**

That wasn't very reassuring but it was all he had. Issei gulped before he slowly raised his hands in front of him in surrender.

"Now all I ask is that you give me a chance to explain before you attack. Kuroka isn't the psychotic criminal you think she is. Give her a chance to defend her actions."

Tiamat's expression didn't change, it might've been carved form stone but she said, "I'll give her five minutes before I arrest the both of you."

It wasn't going to get any better than that. He gestured Tiamat to come in and led her to the living room. Tiamat took a seat on the couch while Issei run up the stairs to Kuroka's room. Issei didn't know if she was an actual Devil cop or if she was just saying arrest in place of beat down but that wasn't really the issue.

When he entered he saw that Kuroka had once again kicked the sheets off the bed like an animal. She didn't like being covered while sleeping. She also slept in the buff but for once Issei didn't notice, the situation was too dire.

Shaking her shoulder gently Issei said, "Kuroka wake up. I need to tell you someth-"

Issei was cut off when Kuroka suddenly wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him onto the bed. Kuroka gave a cute yawn before murmuring sleepily,

"Issei, it's too early. Don't you know cats need lots of sleep, it's biological. So unless you're here to give me your V card, let me sleep."

"Kuroka, wake up. Tiamat the Dragon King is here."

There was a second of calm before Kuroka leapt out of the bed.

"WHAT! Have you betrayed me!?"

Issei once again raised his arms in surrender. "No, I managed to convince Tiamat to hear you out. This is a good chance for you to clear your name. I swear on my life, I would never betray you!"

The wildness in Kuroka's eyes started to fade. She was still angry and pumped up for a fight but Issei had a point. It would be better to talk anyway, Kuroka didn't know if she could take one of the Great Dragon Kings.

She dressed quickly before following Issei downstairs. Issei held Kuroka's hand and could feel her tension.

_'Please, I know I'm not religious but God, if you're there, let this end peacefully.'_

xXx

Tiamat had lived for a long time and therefore had seen and heard many things. That a King had been abusing his Peerage was nothing new but the how actually was. The Peerage system was something most Kings respected, sure more than a few degenerated into filthy harems with no fighting ability whatsoever but that was accepted practice.

That Kuroka's King had experimented on her with experimental magic in an effort to raise her powers was less common but it happened. It was the manner of experiments that disturbed Tiamat, apparently the results would be more effective on a virgin but that wasn't Kuroka.

When her King turned his attention to Kuroka's little sister, Kuroka had snapped. The experiments had been agonising but Shirone had been a child, there was no way Kuroka would allow her sister to suffer the same thing.

Tiamat could understand why Kuroka had done what she had. Any self respecting person would do the same. Kuroka even provided proof, her journal listed in graphic detail, the dates and results of the experiments.

"Alright, you bought yourself some time. I'll take this journal to Ajuka and the Four Satans can determine your fate. It works in your favour that you never got a trial."

The tension slowly eased. There wasn't trust there, not yet but there was at least an end to hostilities. Tiamat turned her attention to Issei,

"Now you Red Dragon Emperor, care to explain that letter?"

Issei ran a hand through his hair, "Well I wanted to find all the pieces but the locater spell failed. Kuroka said that you would be the best one to find the other pieces. I hoped that by sending you the letter you would forgive Ddraig for stealing it all those years ago when you had the answer in your hands. Oh and call me Issei."

Tiamat tried to dissect Issei with her gaze. She had lived among Devils for a long time and they were experts at lying and telling half truths but she couldn't see any guile from him. Was this kid really as honourable as he seemed?

Tiamat smirked, "Well Issei, you're half right. I'm no longer angry at Ddraig or his hosts but we're not even yet. Ddraig took a complete Claw Ring from me and until I have all of it, the debt still exists. I'm here to tell you where the other pieces roughly are.

"One can be found in Madrid, another the outskirts of Florence and the last in Siberia."

Issei cocked his head to the side. "So you want me to find the rest? Can you pinpoint them on a map?"

Tiamat's smirk grew wider, "I could but I won't. I've wanted this back for centuries, I can wait a little while longer but you can't get off that easily."

Despite the situation Kuroka grinned. It was messing with Issei time. "Issei, she has a point. How could you steal a lady's treasure? That's just mean, nya."

Issei looked from Kuroka and Tiamat. He had no idea how it had happened but they had somehow teamed up against him. Some instinct told him to be careful.

"Um, well of course I'll find them. I really don't want an angry Dragon King after me. Is there a way to make a spell to point me in the right direction once I get to the right place?"

Finally letting her smirk fade into an amused look Tiamat nodded, "There is, it's placed on your free hand and will heat up when going in the right direction. For it to work the original piece needs to be with you though."

Issei stood up. "Well no time like the present. Can you perform the spell and send me to one of the spots?"

Tiamat shook her head. "I just got this piece back. I'm not letting it go, so I'm going with you."

"But if you come with me to all the spots and join me finding the pieces you're doing the same amount of work if you did it yourself."

"Nope, I'm going on holiday. You'll be doing all the work. Oh, you'll have to pay for yourself, I'm not a charity."

Issei was going to argue his point but a side glance at Kuroka made him rethink doing that. She wasn't quite smirking but there was something in her eyes that seemed...dangerous.

Issei wasn't sure what the problem was but he didn't want to make it any worse so he shut up. Tiamat took his silence as agreement and stood up.

"Good, let's go. Sorry Kuroka but it's not a good idea for you to come. Just make sure to stay put, it wouldn't work in your favour if you fled now. After this first trip, I'll go back to the Underworld and plead your case, Ciao."

xXx

Issei knew that he should be marvelling over the beauty of Florence, he should be loving the history of the city but currently the only thing he could notice was how sore his legs were. Not even Garp's training could prepare him for the horror that was a woman shopping.

The second they had arrived in Florence, Tiamat had dragged him all over the shopping district without any kind of break. He was now burdened by an enormous amount of shopping bags and a grumbling stomach.

Tiamat was quietly impressed. Issei hadn't complained once or asked to concentrate on the mission. He was either the nicest boy in the world or too polite to say no. It was most likely a mix of the two. He was also very interesting, the human world had changed since her last visit and he provided all the answers she wanted. Mobile phones were very interesting, the way humans compensated for their lack of magic was amazing.

She took pity on Issei and snapped her fingers. All the bags vanished into a magic circle, straight to her 'cave'. She watched a bunch of emotions cross his face in amusement. There was surprise, confusion, realisation and anger but bless his soul, Issei didn't say a word.

She led them to a street vendor and bought them both burgers with the lot. Issei promptly devoured his in seconds before fixing her with puppy dog eyes. Tiamat laughed and got him another, it had been far too long since her last holiday. It was such a release escaping from the constant politicking of the Underworld. It was too bad this would probably be the only time she could come, Rating Games happened all the time and she was the official Rating Game judge, her job never stopped.

Tiamat was aware of the reasons she had given Issei for her presence in Florence but in reality the original piece wasn't needed. However Tiamat had asked for a day off and she was going to have the entire day off thank you very much. The sun was set though and their time was wearing down.

She turned to Issei, "All right, let's do what we came here for."

Tiamat turned her spell on and watched Issei as he turned on the spot looking for the right direction. Pointing east, Issei began his hunt. They had been walking for roughly ten minutes when the wind shifted and they both caught the scent of a Devil.

Issei had paused when the distinctive smell of blood followed. Issei looked at Tiamat and her face was serious. "We should check it out Issei. The local Devil in charge,Skorn Astaroth, is quite progressive and discourages the targeting of humans. This is either the work of a stray or rogue."

They followed their noses until they came upon a small church on the outskirts. Using his Observation, Issei led them to a point where they could see a Devil leaning against a tree, clutching a wound on his chest.

Tiamat hummed in surprise, "That's Diodora Astaroth, heir to the Astaroth clan. No one would be stupid enough to attack an Astaroth in Italy, they basically run everything to do with the supernatural here. I'd guess that wound is self inflicted, what's he up to?"

Hearing that, Issei focused his Observation on Diodora. What he felt made him sick, Diodora was full of hatred and foul intent. He was the most disturbing individual Issei had ever Observed.

"I don't know his plan but it's nothing good. He's full of hate and lust, wait, now there's satisfaction, what?"

They both looked back and saw a young lady leaving the church and approaching Diodora. Issei made to interfere but Tiamat grabbed his arm.

"Don't! We can't do anything. Think, she's a member of the church. I'm a powerful dragon aligned with the Devils. I'm suppressing my aura but I'm easily recognised. This could restart the war!"

"You didn't sense how...evil Diodora is! He wants this to happen for some reason and I can't let it!"

"You have to. Vile he may be but Diodora isn't breaking the rules. He's not attacking the other faction, he attacked himself and the church member is approaching him. This is all by the books! Now calm down or I will make you."

Issei knew that he was no match for Tiamat so he forced himself to stay still but it wasn't easy. Every fibre of his being wanted to stop whatever Diodora had planned. That was just how disturbing Diodora was in Issei's eyes.

They watched as the sister knelt down and a green glow emanated from her hands.

Tiamat said, "That's Twilight Healing. She has a rare Sacred Gear."

It was surprising that this girl had it but that wasn't all. Diodora stood up, looking at his chest in wonder. Observation told Issei that it was all fake but was a convincing act.

Diodora thanked the girl before deploying his Devil wings and taking flight. Both Issei and Tiamat saw how Diodora circled back to watch what happened next.

Members of the church ran out and began yelling at the girl. It wasn't hard to work out the gist of it. One word stuck out above the others, excommunicated.

The girl fell to her knees sobbing. The so called benevolent members of the faith left her on the ground as they re-entered the church. It was heartbreaking to see such selflessness rewarded with punishment.

Tiamat and Issei's enhanced hearing picked up a faint chuckling from Diodora. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Issei didn't think about the consequences, all he wanted was to hurt the Devil who had destroyed that girls life for no reason.

Tiamat had loosened her grip enough for Issei to wrench himself and hitting Diodora with a concentrated burst of Conqueror's haki.

It was so unexpected the Diodora fell out of the sky and in a flash Issei was on him, punching his face with Hardened fists. A green magic circle formed and blasted Issei off of Diodora. Observation had warned him but Issei could've chosen to either block or get another hit in. He chose the punch but couldn't savour it, the magic blast hurt like hell.

Issei and Diodora sprang to their feet and were about to charge each other when Tiamat flattened them both in an instant.

"Both of you stand down! This is now a matter for the courts to settle. Behave or I shall knock you out!"

Issei had no intention of stopping. He had never felt anger like this before.

**"Issei stop! You're lucky that this can be contained to just the Devil faction. Tiamat wasn't lying when she said you could've restarted the war. Besides, Tiamat won't hold back. If you don't want a cracked skull stop!"**

Issei took several deep breaths. It was Ddraig more than Tiamat who had managed to stay his hand. That didn't mean Issei wasn't going to tear Diodora apart at the first opportunity though.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**So yeah, since I changed the last chapter I knew I would have to redo some stuff like Asia's part. Since Tiamat was there, the whole situation took on a new light. I also made the brief more even but made Issei more human. **

**Let me know about the changes. Oh, I also did some serious thinking and I'm getting rid of the Doffy stuff. There is plenty I can use from canon. I did have grand plans for Doffy but if I want to keep this story as short as possible I gotta cut it.**

**Review please!**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I know it's been a while since the last update. Sorry about that. I was on holiday and once that was over, I got sick. Anyway, a lot happens in this chapter so have fun.**

The Conquering Red Dragon Emperor Chapter 5

Uriel was an often misunderstood Seraph. 'The Sword of Justice, the 'Angel of Death' or the 'War Hawk of Heaven'. All titles given to him by either his enemies or the ignorant. The only accurate one was the 'Flame of God' due to his holy flames.

While it was true that Uriel had the highest kill count out of everyone in heaven, Uriel had never longed for war. While he was alive, God had taught Uriel that kindness and peace was what was important. It was for those reasons that Uriel had taken to the field of battle during the Great War, he just wanted to protect humanity from corruption and ensure that they were free to choose how they lived their lives; even if they generally chose poorly.

Michael was the righteous one, Gabriel the kindest and Raphael was the most valorous but in truth Uriel was the most merciful, in character if not in practice. The fact that Uriel also happened to be the most paranoid archangel was something he was kind of blind to.

That was why Uriel had taken to watching over the Italian city of Florence. Italy itself was a bastion of the faith what with Rome being the home of the Church but the Astaroth clan had managed to take Florence just before the War entered the cease fire. That meant that Heaven couldn't retake the city without restarting hostilities, a fact that delighted a large portion of the Underworld.

Uriel didn't want the fighting to break out again but if it did, Florence would be an ideal place to stage an attack from, considering how close it was to Rome. On this particular night Uriel saw a person that all of Heaven had wanted to bring to justice. Diodora Astaroth was targeting another poor girl but they were powerless to intervene. The threat of war hung over all their heads and despite how badly it made Uriel feel, he couldn't place one girl before the world.

He was tempted to fly down and pick the girl up so that she could be of service to Heaven directly before Diodora got his hands on her but paused when he saw a human teenager attack the Devil.

Uriel wanted to help but he needed more of an excuse, Seraph's don't just turn up on Earth without just cause. Then the Dragon King Tiamat stopped the fight and Uriel had his reason. A Dragon King operating in Italy without informing the Church was a breach of protocol, a minor breach to be sure but enough justification for intervention.

In a flash Uriel teleported into the clearing where Tiamat held the Devil and human at bay.

"A Dragon King, one closely aligned with Ajuka Beelzebub, being in Italy without informing Heaven? What is the meaning of this Tiamat?"

Uriel saw Tiamat blanch; it was obvious that she hadn't anticipated one of the Four Great Seraphs of Heaven turning up before her looking for answers.

"Peace Uriel, this is all just a misunderstanding. It's Devil business and doesn't concern you."

"Considering that I saw what Diodora Astaroth did a few minutes ago, I'd say it does concern me. From Heaven, I saw him injure himself and then call for help, tricking a follower of the faith into healing him which resulted in her expulsion from the Church. I could interpret this as an assault on the Church."

A tense silence filled the air. Uriel was a holy being; an archangel and they couldn't lie; it just wasn't possible. Tiamat was thinking furiously.

"I can't let you take Diodora. Even if he is guilty, a Seraph taking a pure blooded heir will cause all kinds of trouble."

"He would get a fair trial; you have my word."

"Whether the trial is fair or not is irrelevant. The Underworld won't stand for it. Can't you trust my word when I say that Diodora will be punished?"

Uriel paused as he considered her words. He brought a hand up to his chin in thought. "…. No I can't. Believe me, I wish I could trust other being's words but Devils are known to be deceptive and though you are a dragon you've spent a long time in their presence."

"So, where does that leave us?"

Tiamat shook her head angrily. The situation was spirally out of control and it was Issei's fault, if only he could control his anger.

"I don't have the authority to make any decisions. As you said, I'm not a Devil. May I contact one of the Satan's so that they can deal with this mess?"

"That seems to be the best course of action but I must ask that you don't use Beelzebub. He has a conflict of interest here."

Tiamat nodded before she used a magic circle to make a call. "Leviathan, it's Tiamat. I need you to come to my position, it's urgent."

"But Tia, I'm just about to start filming my latest episode! Can't it wait?"

"Serafall, if you don't want the Great War to restart you will come here right now! Do your job as the Satan of Foreign Affairs!"

"Ah fine! One second. Geez."

An instant later and a blue teleportation circle appeared, bringing the current Leviathan with it. Serafall blinked as she saw Tiamat currently restraining Diodora Astaroth and a human with Uriel standing nearby.

Her face uncharacteristically serious she asked, "What's going on?"

Tiamat made an apologetic face, "Sorry for calling you so unexpectedly but this is serious. Diodora here tricked a holy maiden into using her Sacred Gear and as a result, the maiden was excommunicated from the church.

"Uriel here saw the whole thing and wants to put Diodora on trial. There is a chance Uriel takes this as an official act of war and hostilities will begin again."

Serafall took a second to put that together in her mind before she nodded. "Okay, first things first I think we need to hear from Diodora himself. I'll restrain him with magic Tiamat, so let him up. Human, are you a threat? Is that why Tiamat is holding you down?"

The human shook his head. "I'm not a threat. Tiamat's holding me because I got angry at what Diodora did and attacked him but if he gets punished than I can keep my temper in check. I'm Issei by the way."

Serafall nodded again. "Okay, let him up as well Tiamat, he can serve as a witness."

Tiamat first let Issei get to his feet before grabbing Diodora by the scruff of his neck and dragging him to his feet. Serafall than bound him with chains of ice, once that was done she gestured for Diodora to speak.

"If you know what's good for you, then you'll just forget this happened. My brother will smite everyone here. You attacked the heir to his house!"

Serafall shook her head. "Ajuka isn't that rash. If he sees me doing this, he will have the brains to at least ask before attacking. Now tell me what you did here!"

"Not a chance. My blood is Pure and I demand a trial in the Underworld. Get this pigeon away from me!"

Uriel knew what insults were but like most angels they didn't affect him. Words weren't worth getting angry over, only actions.

"Diodora Astaroth I accuse you of attacking the church. If my memory can be trusted, then Raphael in particular wants to bring you to justice. He told us that you kidnap holy maidens, turn them into Devils before defiling them all against their will. Michael himself had to stop my brother from flying into Astaroth territory and condemning you for your sins.

"You have no idea how badly Heaven has wanted to bring you to justice and now that we have a chance, we won't let it slip through our fingers! You're in no position to demand anything."

Diodora gulped but his bravado didn't waver. "My brother is the strongest of the Satans! Heaven will burn before he forsakes me!"

Serafall was in over her head. True, she was the Satan of Foreign Affairs but very rarely was she dealing with actual foreign affairs. She wished that Tiamat had called Sirzechs instead but that couldn't happen now.

With one Satan already present, two could force Uriel's hand and a fight might break out. She needed to resolve this peacefully but how?

Issei spoke up. "Why don't you involve a neutral party to handle this? It's clear that both Devils and Angels have some stakes in this so why not let the Fallen handle it? They can be impartial and decide which side should get Diodora and just how guilty he is."

That made everyone else pause. The idea had merit and using diplomacy was far better then either side trying to forcibly take Diodora away.

Despite Issei's clear youth, Serafall found herself nodding. "That's not a bad idea Ise. Azazel, for all his flaws is generally a good judge of character. Uriel, you know him better than I, could he be trust to be impartial?"

Uriel was already nodding before Serafall finished. "My wayward brother may have a weakness for the flesh but he is a good man. I've known him for centuries. If you want, I can contact him."

Serafall smiled and gave a single nod. This looked promising and perhaps now Diodora would finally get what was coming to him. His fetishes were an open secret in the Underworld and though it wasn't universally despised, enough Devils were disgusted with his actions. The only thing that stopped the Satan's from acting was politics. The pure blood families wouldn't stand for it and not to mention Ajuka would need actual proof before condemning his own brother.

The Satan's lack of power over the thirty three clans wasn't advertised. Both sides needed the other, the Satans needed the clans to help build the Devil population and the clans needed the Satan's strength for protection.

It was while Serafall was deep in thought that Azazel teleported into the clearing. He hadn't changed at all over the years what with his lazy smirk laid back attitude. He raised a hand in greeting,

"Yo, Uriel explained the situation. I'd be happy to help; I don't want the war the restart. I suggest that we hold Diodora's trial in a month. This gives all sides time to talk it out with their colleagues and gather evidence.

"I also suggest that during that time, Grigori holds Diodora prisoner. This will ensure that no shady business will be conducted.

"I only have one problem; I don't think the trial itself should be held in the Grigori. I'm not quite comfortable letting powerful members of the other factions into the middle of my city, not to mention that I don't think the presence of Seraphs would be welcome to the other members of the Underworld; remember that your capital and ours share the Underworld."

Both Uriel and Serafall agreed with Azazel's suggestion for the Fallen to hold Diodora until the trial. It was the most practical solution, now all they had to do was find a location. After a few minutes, Tiamat said,

"Why not another neutral location like Kyoto? Yasaka is quite peaceful and I think she would be open to holding the trial. It can't hurt to ask."

Azazel nodded. "I'll contact her when I get back. Now I'll take Diodora, I have an experiment going on in my lab and I should get back before something goes wrong.

"Oh and you," Azazel looked at Issei with interest written all over his face, "I'd like for you to be there as well. You're a witness and as a human you can provide a fresh perspective on things."

When Issei nodded Azazel snapped his fingers and bound Diodora in chains of light before teleporting away with his new prisoner.

Uriel stretched out his wings before looking at everyone. "I think I'd better go report this all to Michael. Thank you Issei for finding a peaceful solution."

He was about to teleport away before he remembered the young girl who was the victim in all this. He flew over to the girl who was still on the ground in shock quite a short distance away. How she managed to ignore the supernatural activity happening, nobody knew.

"Hello young one. I'm Uriel and one of the Four Great Seraphs. I'd like to say that your excommunication was unjust and that you are a great example of the Lord's teachings. God valued kindness and mercy above all else. I'd like to invite you to see Heaven."

The blonde girl looked up at Uriel hope blossoming in her eyes again. "Do you really mean it sir?"

"Of course I do. Angels can't lie and you are quite kind. Just because you can heal Devils doesn't make you a heretic, its just the way your power works."

Her face lit up with a radiant smile, "I'd love to see Heaven, Uriel sir! I'm Asia by the way, Asia Argento."

The two of them were enveloped in Uriel's light as they teleported away.

xXx

Issei was in two minds. On one hand, he didn't regret his actions. Diodora was scum and punching his face had felt really good but on the other Issei had managed to piss off Tiamat and now this whole situation had happened.

"**It could be worse Partner. The war could've started again."**

That was definitely a positive but Issei still felt apprehension. If Tiamat wanted to get him back there wasn't anything he could do about it, he needed more training.

His thoughts were distracted when he got another look at the current Leviathan. She was rather beautiful and her twin tail's hair style was eye catching but the thing that really got his attention was her outfit. She was wearing a Milky Spiral outfit!

Issei internally warred against his inner otaku to avoid geeking out in front of two grown women but he couldn't help but compliment the outfit.

Her eyes lit up. "Thanks Ise, you know not many people know much about it. My sister hates the way I dress. You can call me Serafall by the way or Sera for short."

"I guess you sister doesn't understand the real beauty of Milky Spiral and it's message."

Serafall smiled, "It's so good to meet a fellow fan but I have to admit it's a little strange. Milky Spiral is a girl's show right?"

Issei suddenly got rather embarrassed. "Um, well I might not be the target audience but I still like the show. I don't really tell people though; other guys laugh at me."

Serafall promptly slung an arm around Issei's neck. "Ignore them Ise! We both know the true value of Milky and nobody can take that away from us. Now quick, what's your favourite Milky movie?"

Kuroka had been working on desensitising Issei's reactions to skin ship but unfortunately it only worked with Kuroka. Serafall was new, and beautiful and shared his interests and having her so close was proving to be very distracting.

"U-um well I really like the third one. I know the villain is weaker than the fourth one but I like Milky's interactions with her friends, plus her upgraded wand was awesome."

Issei had started rubbing the back of his head while looking off to the side; Serafall smelled really nice and it was affecting him. Unbeknownst to Issei, Serafall could tell that she was flustering Issei and that she should probably stop but it was fun finding someone who liked Magical Girls and was also easy to tease.

"Well I do like number three but I think five is better. I know the different studio annoyed some people but I really…"

Serafall was cut off from her rambling by Tiamat.

"Serafall. I hate to interrupt…. whatever this is but we really need to get back. The other Satans need to know about this and Ajuka won't take it well."

The happiness on Serafall's face faded. "Of course, this is actually pretty serious. I guess I'll see you in Kyoto Issei!"

"Wait, can you teleport me home? I can't use magic. Also I'll need a lift to Kyoto for the trial."

Tiamat nodded. "That's a good point. Alright, I'll sent you back now and pick you when it's time for the trial."

A few seconds later and Issei was back in his room. It was lucky that his parents weren't in there otherwise there would've been problems.

It only took a few moments but Kuroka suddenly flew into Issei's room and started demanding details about what happened. She paused when she saw how serious Issei's face was.

"Issei, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Is Gramps here? Something serious happened and I could use some advice."

xXx

Garp knew that he was being too tough on Issei, he knew that this new training regime was insane. Garp could see the newly found resentment in Issei's eyes after just a week but Garp forced the training to continue. He couldn't lose another grandson; Sabo and Ace had died well before their time and Garp was going to make Issei strong, even if it strained their relationship.

Garp had gotten Kuroka to increase Issei's personal gravity while upping the training that Issei had to do. Push ups, sit ups and increased haki training, it all added up and even though Issei started to get stronger Garp could tell that Issei didn't think it was necessary.

Nine hours of physical training while under three times Earth's gravity was producing results, Issei had already passed this world's human limits. He was approaching physical strength more similar to Garp's own world, where he could throw a canon ball with more force than firing it.

It was eight pm when Kuroka approached Garp while he was making coffee in the kitchen.

"Garp, I don't know why you are pushing Issei so hard but you should talk to him. Issei always liked training but now he's finding it harder and harder to listen to you. He may be sixteen but unless you have a good reason for this kind of intensity you'll drive him away. You have to bridge this gap before it gets too wide."

It was a thoughtful Garp who quietly entered Issei's room and sat on the floor. Observation told him that Issei was awake but hadn't reacted to Garp's arrival in anyway. Garp's face was in shadow as he began to speak.

"Issei… I'm not good at this sort of thing but I know you don't like how tough I'm being. It's just… I have to make you stronger, strong enough to fight anyone who might target you.

"Did I ever tell you that I once had three grandsons? Luffy, Ace and Sabo were good kids. They were so free spirited. Only Luffy was my grandson by blood but those brats wormed their way into my heart and were my family in all but name.

"Sabo was twelve when he was killed. He just wanted to escape his parents and be free to live his life the way he wanted. I would've helped him but was on deployment and didn't find out about his death until a few months after. I had lost people before, comrades and friends but this was different. Sabo was so innocent, he wanted so many things but never got the chance.

"Ace and Luffy took it hard. They trained even harder but it didn't matter. Ace was twenty when he was captured by the World Government and executed. You see, Ace was a pirate but not like the ones in your history. Ace was more focused on adventure and being himself. Free to do what he wanted."

Garp paused. Tears had begun to form in his eyes and he wiped them away before continuing.

"Ace died in Luffy's arms long before his time. Sabo and Ace should've died old men, surrounded by their kids.

"The only thing that rivalled the pain of losing my grandsons was the guilt. I was a Marine, a hero, and I stood there and watched Ace die. It was my weakness and indecision to commit to a side that resulted in Ace's death.

"My spirit broke that day, true Luffy was alive but after I let Ace die I couldn't bear facing him. I didn't want my last grandson to look at me with hate.

"It wasn't long after that when I somehow found myself in your world. There was a hole in my heart that you and Irina accidently managed to fill. I found new grand kids and I can't lose you; I'd rather throw myself off a cliff than see another member of my family die before I do.

"I know you meant well and I approve you defending that girl but now the eyes of the other factions are on you. Ddraig and Kuroka have said that all three would love to have you as an ally or servant. If you're not smart or strong enough; you'll fall under someone's influence and I want you to be free, just like Luffy.

"That's why I'm pushing you so hard. I trained the boys but they still died. I can't help but wonder if they might be alive if I had been harder on them. This world has new thresholds of power that I can't touch but to the best of my ability I will make you surpass me. If that means your hate than so be it, the pain of your hate will be sweet compared to the pain of burying you."

Garp coughed and got to his feet. He would never admit it but this was choking him up, bringing up his most painful memories.

"For what its worth Issei, I'm proud of you. I don't think I ever said it to the boys so I'll say it now, you may not be my blood but you are my family and I love you. I hope one day you forgive this old man."

Having said his piece, Garp left Issei's room. He was never one for emotional talks and baring his soul like that was quite tiring. Garp just hoped it had been enough, he had avoided Luffy because he was strong enough to face Luffy's hatred and Garp wasn't sure if he handle Issei's.

xXx

It was an apprehensive Garp that stood in the backyard waiting for Issei the next morning, waiting for that days training to begin. He didn't know if it had worked and that was eating away at him. The back door opened and Issei stepped out. They locked eyes and neither noticed Kuroka slip passed Issei, watching them anxiously.

Garp wasn't sure how long they looked at each other before he saw Issei smirk. "Don't you think it's time to teach me the advanced forms of Observation and Armament?"

There was no resentment left in Issei's eyes and relief flooded Garp's body. Garp knew that this would be one of his most treasured memories but Issei couldn't know that; Garp had fulfilled his emotional quota for the year.

"If you think you can handle it. The advanced forms can only be achieved by pushing the limits of your haki against superior opponents. So if you're ready, lets spar."

As the two of them squared off Kuroka smiled to herself. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop but her hearing was exceptional, what with being a nekoshou as well as a Devil. But now that she knew how much this meant to Garp and that it all benefited Issei in the end, Kuroka knew that she would have to step up Issei's senjutsu training.

xXx

It wasn't often that all the members of the Old Satan Faction met. True they shared the same goal but personality wise they didn't get along. This was a golden opportunity though, one that they couldn't let slip through their fingers.

Their main headquarters in the Khaos Brigade were opulent to the extreme. Only the highest of standards were worthy of hosting the true leaders of Hell, gold and silver adorning the walls.

Shalba Beelzebub sat behind his enormous oak desk, looking at his compatriots, Katerea Leviathan and Creuserey Asmodeus.

"I assume you both have heard the news; it's running rampant throughout the supernatural world. I might not like Diodora but he is a pure blood and our ally. At the very least, he has presented us a golden opportunity.

"Since we can telepathically communicate between people with the snakes from Ophis, we now know the location of the Gremory and Sitri heirs. It was a carefully guarded secret but the 'heiresses' are attending a human school in Kuoh, Japan.

"With the eyes of the world on Kyoto in a month, we can strike Kuoh and hurt the current Satan's in power. It will be the first step in our goal to retake Hell!"

Both Leviathan and Asmodeus smirked. Gremory and Sitri may be pure blooded but their deaths would serve their purposes.

Katerea then had a thought, "What about Rizevim? Should we include him in this?"

Shalba snorted, "That goat has been so absorbed with his schemes ever since Euclid returned with news. No Rizevim want's nothing to do with us, he has abandoned his pride as the son of Lucifer."

Asmodeus said, "No matter, with the snakes given to us from Ophis not even the Satans can stop us. Soon they shall know the pain of losing a sibling!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: So I don't really know Uriel's character all that well. I'll be honest I havent read the light novels, just the anime but I know the plot since I reserched a fair chunk of DxD which is how I know about Trihexia. I should read the light novels but reading scenes from the seasons I've watched is a drag. Does anyone know where the anime ends in the Light novel?**

**Anyway, so Issei meets Serafall for the first time and geeks out over his hidden otaku tendencies. I wanted that scene to be funny and hope I got it right. **

**The real meat of this chapter though is Garp and his talk with Issei. I wanted to try and capture how Garp felt after Ace's death and how that might affect him. I hope I made it realistic.**

**Let me know what you thought.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know it's been a while since the last update but life has a way of interfering with my hobbies. A fair amount happens this chapter and hopefully it was worth the wait. Still looking for a beta for this story, if you're interested PM me.**

Chapter 6

As she shifted her head to another spot on Issei's chest, Kuroka couldn't think of the last time she had been this happy. When she had first met Issei roughly a year ago, she had never intended to get so attached to him. Sure Issei was nice and rather powerful for a human but Kuroka's main goal was Shirone's safety. But last night had been far better, Issei always had been a quick learner. She couldn't help but smile a little as she snuggled further into his chest.

The first seduction had been two weeks ago just after Issei had thrown himself into training and had been a complete accident. He had been sore from over exerting himself and she had used senjutsu to heal his body and well, one thing led to another. A part of her was surprised that it had taken this long, Issei was a hormonal teenager. That just showed how impressive his will power was.

Staying at the Hyoudou's was good, she had food and shelter but she knew that she would have to move on eventually; her sister needed her. However every time she packed her sparse belongings she couldn't bring herself to leave. For a long time it had just been her and Shirone against the world. True, family is important but they had generally slept in caves or in trees. Accommodation was a novelty they couldn't afford and meals had to be caught and prepared by hand. For a while now, Kuroka had been conflicted; was she a bad sister for wanting to stay with Issei a little longer?

'_What am I doing? I always wanted to preserve my race but not until I found Shirone and now I've actually gone and started falling for Issei. He knows how much finding Shirone means to me and would never stop me from searching for her but if I started my search again, it increases the risk that a Devil will find my trail and follow me here. _

'_I can't do that to them, not after everything they've done for me! What do I do next? I should probably stop this before Issei gets too attached. Shirone is still out there and I need to find her. Hopefully Issei can forgive me.'_

Kuroka ran an idle hand over Issei's stomach. The month of hard training had paid off and he was a far cry from his former strength. He had grown ten centimetres and put on ten kilos of pure muscle. It was a look that Kuroka greatly appreciated but his changes weren't just physical. How Issei managed to gain height while training under increased gravity Kuroka didn't know but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

After Issei and Garp had _that _talk, Issei had thrown himself whole heartedly into his training. Now he could 'see' a few seconds into the future using his Observation and also push his Armament outside of his body for greatly increased striking power. Apparently his training still wasn't complete; there was still one more aspect of Armament Issei had to learn.

Kuroka hadn't been idle either, she taught Issei how to use his Ki to wrap itself around his body increasing his offense, defence and speed with a technique called touki. Not to mention enhancing his Observation with Ki sensing, it would take quite a lot for someone to sneak up on Issei now.

Issei stirred and blinked. His eyes locked onto Kuroka's and she felt a swell of emotions. His eyes were so happy and not just from the sex. Damn him and his ability to cut through her defences.

"Hey you. It's a little weird to stare at people while they sleep you know."

Kuroka poked Issei's chest. "I wasn't staring. Now, how do you feel? It's the day of the trial and you have a big day ahead of you."

Issei grabbed the hand with the finger poking him before bringing it to his lips. He smirked, "I feel great!"

Kuroka smiled, "And don't you forget it. Now, there's a couple things I wanted to talk about before you go to Kyoto.

"First, no matter how angry you get, don't use Ddraig. Tiamat is the only one there who knows that you are the Red Dragon Emperor and I'd like it to stay that way. This event is almost certainly going to be broadcast throughout the Underworld and you might become a pawn in the Factions game. It's actually kind of sad how little entertainment the Devils actually get.

"I'm not anticipating you getting into trouble but after this month of training you should be able to handle most of the high class Devil fighters. I can't wait to see you in Balance Breaker, I wonder if you'll be stronger than me?

"Secondly, I'm going to give you my personal teleportation seal, I'll place it on the back of your hand. My teleportation is unique because it fuels itself on senjutsu and not magic. That allows it to bypass the normal barriers around Kyoto that Yasaka has set up. It might sound paranoid but I'd rather you have it and not need it than the other way around."

xXx

Kokabiel was a proud Fallen Angel, one who had survived the Great War and his blood thirsted for battle. His strength was proven but just as his name was starting to be feared along the same lines as Baraqiel and Shemhazai, the war had ended. Curse Azazel and his peaceful ways; the Fallen were the strongest faction and it was their right to rule!

Now he just had to find a way to restart the war. He had to do something big; big enough that nobody could ignore it or sweep it under the rug.

'_Assassination seems to be the best option but who to target? If I knew the location of the Gremory heiress she would be a prime candidate. Perhaps the Pope? No, Michael would be angry but would still be able to see the big picture._

'_Killing a Devil seems ideal but who? Gremory and Sitri heirs are in the human world but hidden and the Astaroth heir too closely guarded what with him being a prisoner in Grigori._

'_Hmm…. I could target the remaining clans of the Seventy Two Pillars. Glasya-Labolas is a good option, considering Falbium Asmodeus's ties to his family. Agares is another good option. It's common knowledge that the current Agares heir, Seekvaira is friendly with Rias Gremory. Seekvaira's death may incense the Gremory heir into coming out into the open for revenge. _

'_Yes, that sounds like a good plan. Time to kill young Agares and plant the seeds for war.'_

His thoughts were disturbed by the arrival of a young girl dressed in a gothic Lolita fashion. If that had been all, Kokabiel wouldn't have been worried but the sheer power radiating off of her small frame was large enough for him to prepare himself.

The girl looked at him blankly. "I'm Ophis. Help me kill Great Red and I will give you power."

'_The Infinite Dragon God here in Grigori without anyone noticing? Her power truly is frightening. If her offer is real than I can't pass on it, I can always cut my ties with her once my goals are achieved. There is no way I'm going to fight Great Red even with her help.'_

Ophis was done, "I know in the past I gave my allies a lot of freedom but my newest ally has said that might be a mistake. So, do not cross me Kokabiel unless you want to fight Crom Cruach."

That put an end to his rebellious thoughts. Ophis may be stronger but Crom was known to be merciless. Crom would make him suffer before killing him and Kokabiel wasn't fool enough to think he could fight the strongest Evil Dragon.

xXx

Azazel was a curious man. He loved puzzles that he couldn't solve; that was the main reason why he devoted so much time to researching Sacred Gears. This latest puzzle though looked to be quite intriguing. So much so that he barely paid attention to the matter at hand. The trial was a formality, all parties present knew Diodora was guilty.

The room Yasaka chose to hold the trial was in a traditional Japanese style, with indoor plants and minimal furniture. Diodora was magically restrained in the corner with Azazel sitting nearby. The other two factions had a table each with the witnesses at another with the guests sitting near the back wall.

Michael had wanted to come but Heaven needed his attention and therefore sent Uriel and Rapheal although Azazel wished he had sent Gabriel; it had been too long since he'd seen her sheer _hotness._

Since Ajuka couldn't be trusted to be impartial and Falbium Asmodeus being too lazy, the Devils had sent Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan to represent them. Lord Astaroth was also present but only as an observer. Lord Astaroth was sitting by the wall with an admirable poker face although the way he gripped his legs betrayed his tension.

Finally the last people here, aside from their host Yasaka, was Tiamat the Dragon King and Issei Hyoudou. Issei was an enigma, one that Azazel was determined to unravel. Humans had always possessed the lowest thresholds of power in the world but they made up for it by using their brains to invent marvellous things.

Which was why Issei was so confusing. An ordinary human being strong enough to punch a high class devil and make it hurt? It should be impossible, at least without a Sacred Gear but Issei had done it.

'_Is it perhaps martial arts? Maybe senjutsu but that begs the question of who taught it to him. How can a human have ties to Tiamat the Dragon King as well as being on first name basis with Yasaka?_

'_That's not even mentioning the faint signs of him having a Sacred Gear but if he does then it's not active. Who are you Issei Hyoudou?'_

The only mildly interesting thing said here today was when Diodora's Queen Piece introduced herself as Emma Smith, an English exorcist who was tricked by Diodora and excommunicated by the church as a result. It was almost identical to Asia Argento's own circumstances although Emma was the first victim chosen by Diodora.

Emma had shared the gory details that being a member of Diodora's peerage entailed, only because she knew Diodora was finally getting what was coming to him. She had witnessed the other girls get tricked and enslaved and there wasn't anything she could do. It was obvious that Emma had taken it upon herself to look out for the rest. She was typically the one who stood up to Diodora the most and suffered the worst for it. Once her testimony was over it was obvious that Diodora had absolutely no friends left.

Raphael had just finished presenting everyone his own evidence that he had collected over the years when Azazel decided he should say something,

"Alright, I think we can all say that Diodora here is guilty. The question now is what to do with him? Both Devils and Heaven would like to decide his fate, how should we choose? I'm partial to a coin flip."

Uriel and Raphael looked at their Devil counterparts but neither Serafall or Sirzechs were willing to back down. Heaven only wanted justice served but considered an issue for Heaven seeing as his victims had been their followers.

The Devils wanted him because the Seventy Two Pillars would kick up a massive fuss if a pure-blooded heir was handed to their enemies, not to mention that Ajuka had requested the responsibility of handling his younger brother's punishment; provided it resulted in death. Diodora's older brother wanted to it to end quickly and painlessly.

Before either side could say something, Issei stood up, "Why don't we let Diodora speak? Unless I'm mistaken, his fate will be death either way. What he did is inexcusable but what example would the faction leaders set by squabbling like children?"

Issei's words had merit and everyone agreed to let Diodora say a few words.

As Diodora's gag was removed his face twisted in anger.

"I've decided, I want to fight the human, Issei Hyoudou. If he wins than he chooses my fate, I've no doubt it will be more pleasant than if the Angels get their way. If I win though, I will be handed to the Devils and allowed to live as a prisoner. Victory should have its privileges after all."

Azazel smirked. This couldn't have worked out any better. He didn't really care about Diodora's fate but this gave him an opportunity to see exactly what Issei could first hand. Before Azazel could ask Issei had stood up.

"I accept."

The fighters were quickly escorted to a sparring area under Yasaka's control. It was heavily warded to protect the rest of the buildings and would hold up to at least Ultimate class attacks.

Issei quickly stretched before focusing. He had everything he needed; the Six Powers, Haki and senjutsu. Diodora was going to pay for his actions!

xXx

Kuroka was sitting on the couch eyes glued to the TV screen. She had used a spell to connect to an already existing supernatural connection. Kuroka hadn't followed the connection too far, it was nestled in the Kuoh area's ley-lines but it seemed to head towards the school Issei would be attending once term started.

Apparently there were Devils in Kuoh who watched Rating Games and it was a simple matter to create a magical line for the same programs.

The only downside was that she had no control over what was playing, whatever the original connection was watching, Kuroka had to watch as well.

Not that it mattered since it was a pretty safe bet to say that every TV capable of watching it was on Diodora Astaroth's Trial.

She nearly lost her composure when Diodora made his request and Issei accepted but she remembered just how hard Issei had trained. Without the Boosted Gear, the only high class Devil Kuroka could think that would truly push Issei to his limits was Sairaorg Bael.

Hell, Kuroka herself found the most annoying power Issei had to be his Observation. She had no experience fighting someone who could read her moves the second she chose them. Fighting people who were faster and stronger sure but against someone who could see a few seconds into the future? Impossible.

She was thinking about what Issei would choose for Diodora when Garp walked into the room.

"Kuroka, did you sense any Devils appearing in Kuoh just then?"

Kuroka frowned and concentrated but couldn't find anything.

"Nothing but if they're trying to be sneaky than its quite simple to suppress one's power for concealment. I'm guessing that doesn't work on your Observation?"

Garp raised a hand to his chin in thought. "That's right, unless they have training in Observation they can't hide from either me or Issei. Well three new Devil signatures just showed up out of nowhere and from what I can tell they are rather powerful. What do you think we should do?"

"Well unless something drastic happens I don't think we should get involved. Even if Tiamat is going to talk to the Satans about getting me a trial there's no point in risking exposu-.."

She was cut off as she sensed a massive amount of magical energy appear. She dashed to the nearest window and saw a large containment field set up over what looked like the Kuoh Academy.

'_What is going on? Why would such a huge field be set up right now? Hostilities can't be breaking out now, not when everyone important is involved with Diodora. It's a good thing they made it invisible to beings without magical power otherwise the entire town would be able to see it.'_

She heard Garp ask, "What's happened?"

"I'm not sure but my point still stands, there's no reason for us to get involv.."

She trailed off again was she sensed a faint use of senjutsu which seemed to be coming from the TV. She walked over and began inspecting it while trying to think of a plausible reason for this to happen.

'_Who would use natural energy provided by a ley-line? The energy is more raw and powerful than normal natural energy but harder to control. Whoever it is either doesn't know that or is desperate.'_

Kuroka closed her eyes and focused on the connection to the ley-line itself.

'_All senjutsu use leaves a trace. Maybe I can use it to figure out who it is, there isn't that many senjutsu users around, not after the Purge._

'_This connection is odd though. The flow is being inconsistent, too little and then too much energy being used. This person is a novice and in need of a teacher, but this is kind of... familiar, almost as if its…'_

"Shirone!"

Kuroka had gotten to her feet and was halfway though casting a teleportation circle when Garp grabbed her arm.

"What a moment. Who's Shirone and what's wrong?"

Fighting off her impulse to shake off Garp's grip Kuroka forced herself to answer.

"Shirone is my baby sister. She is trying to use senjutsu to fight something and it must be bad! I need to go make sure she's safe!"

Garp nodded. "Okay, let's go."

"What?"

"I may not know your sister but I know you mean the world to Issei. He would never forgive me if you went off to battle without some back up."

Kuroka managed a small smile in spite of the situation and in flash they were gone.

xXx

Diodora was pissed. He had thought that this battle would be over quickly, no human could ever hope to match up against a pure blooded Devil but that wasnt the case. It seemed like no matter what he did, Diodora just couldn't hit Issei Hyoudou.

'_He's fast but my magic flies faster. It doesn't make sense, if he was relying on reflexes than my attack's greater speed should get the job done. Is he reading my mind? Can he see the future?'_

Diodora snarled. The human had to be cheating somehow, it was the only explanation. No Sacred Gear let someone see the future and Diodora had gotten training to protect his mind from attacks.

What Diodora didn't know was that his training only pertained to mental attacks of a magical variety. Observation Haki was will made manifest and Diodora had no defence against it.

Diodora lost what little restraint he had left. He threw up his strongest shield; one that was empowered by the snake that Shalba had given him.

"You don't have the strength to break my defences! I'll let you exhaust yourself trying to get through before I rip out your eyes!"

Diodora smirked as he watched Hyoudou try to come up with a plan. Diodora felt confusion when he saw Hyoudou's arms darken with the new colour forming into a pattern of flames near his shoulders before seeing a thin layer of touki envelope him.

Hyoudou calmly walked forward and raised his right arm, index finger pointing. As it gently pressed against the shield Diodora heard Hyoudou say,

"Armament Hardening: Finger Pistol!"

The shield cracked before it shattered into pieces. Diodora didn't have time to question how a human had this kind of power before he was getting well and truly beaten. Hand to hand combat had never been Diodora's forte and he was paying for it now.

Faster than Diodora could react, both of his ankles had been broken, followed by his shoulders being dislocated. He moaned in pain, slumped on the floor. Pain was not something Diodora was accustomed to, no heir was, and it was proving to be an awful experience.

Issei Hyoudou took a step back and said, "I've beaten him so I decide his fate right?"

Azazel had a pleased grin. "Those were the exact words Diodora used so yes. What are you going to do?"

"Give each member of his former Peerage a knife. They can take turns cutting him until Diodora succumbs to blood loss. I think of everybody here, they have the most right to vengeance."

It was a compelling argument and one that neither side contested, not that Azazel would let them. He had been selected to be an impartial judge and as far as he was concerned the matter was settled.

Yasaka's men kept an eye on Diodora to make sure he didn't try anything stupid as Azazel made his way to Issei. There was plenty of questions on the tip of his tongue and he had the rest of the day off. Azazel was forced to a stop however, when a communication circle appeared and Grayfia's head appeared in front of Sirzechs.

"Sirzechs, Rias and Sona are being attacked right now! There's a containment field over their school and I can't break it! You need to get here right now!"

Sirzechs was on his feet in an instant. "Just one thing, are they okay?"

"Both Peerages have taken a beating. It's the Old Satan Faction but Rias got some unexpected help. The wanted criminal Kuroka managed to bypass the field somehow and is protecting them."

Sirzechs didn't bother ending the call, he just teleported away. For her part, Tiamat looked at Issei, Kuroka was involved and Tiamat knew Issei was going to do something rash. She ran to his side and said,

"Issei, how is Kuroka involved? Can you contact her?"

Serafall had just been about to teleport to Sirzechs location but paused when she heard Tiamat's question. Serafall rushed to Issei's other side,

"Is there a way to talk? Grayfia can't break the field but Kuroka could. Please help me, my sister is in danger!"

Issei nodded. "Grab my arms, Kuroka gave me her personal teleportation circle and hopefully we can go straight to her."

As both Tiamat and Serafall grabbed Issei, they vanished in a flash of purple light. Azazel sighed, it looked like his questions would have to wait.

xXx

Issei didn't know what to expect when his feet landed back on solid ground but the sight of a battered and bruised Kuroka laying on the ground wasn't it. He was at her side in an instant, ignoring the situation for the moment; his Kuroka had been hurt and he needed to make sure she was alive.

He tried calling her name but saw that she was unconscious. Her beautiful face had been marred by swelling and bruised flesh and pure rage filled Issei. Kuroka was hurt but her life wasn't in danger, Observation told him that.

Getting to his feet Issei finally looked around. It was Kuoh Academy and it looked like several students had been attacked.

"Who did this?!"

"That would be us boy."

Issei snapped his head up and saw two people hovering in the air in front of him. The one on the left spoke again,

"We're the Old Satan Faction and the true leaders of the Underworld. Thank you for bringing the pretend Leviathan here, Katerea has been waiting for this day for a long time."

While Tiamat and Serafall reacted with anger Issei didn't hear a single word. His fury over Kuroka's wounds was the only thing on his mind. It was suffocating and Issei didn't know what to do with his anger. It was building inside of him and had nowhere to go.

As Issei wrestled with his anger, Creuserey Asmodeus flew over to join his compatriots. "How did these pests get through the field? It's powered by Ophis seeing how she gave us the spell. It should be unbreakable."

Katerea laughed. "Who cares about them? I want to know why it took you so long to deal with an old man?"

"He's not a normal human. I don't know what his power is, all I know is that it appears that he can either read my mind or see the future. I couldn't hit him so I attacked one of the girls we defeated earlier. Stupid man jumped in front of my attack. He's not actually out cold but seemed to relax once these guys showed up.

"Now tell me Shalba, why is the cat girl still alive?"

Shalba was about to answer when a deadly voice cut in.

"Which one of you did this to Kuroka?!"

Shalba smirked. "Well seeing as Creuserey was kept busy by an old human and Katerea stated that the only women she would fight is the fake Leviathan that just leaves me. Shalba Beelzebu-"

Shalba was cut off when there was burst of crimson light and a deep voice echoed.

"**Balance Breaker: Scale Mail!"**

Issei didn't know why he was covered in red armour; all he knew was that he felt stronger than ever. He clenched his fists and glared at Shalba.

"I'm going to kill you!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Phew, alright what did you think?**

**Kokabiel is lurking in the shadows and Ophis is up to something. Azazel is confused and Issei is angry. **

**I'll get some details about Garp and Kuroka's fights next chapter, I just wanted to end this chapter with Balance Breaker. **

**Let me know your thoughts.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know it's been a while sorry. Life gets in the way, not to mention that I really should put more effort into my Naruto story; It's the one I began first and has more favorites. I also started a new story, I probably shouldn't have but the idea was stuck in my head I couldn't help myself.**

Chapter 7

Tiamat grit her teeth as yet another one her punches was ineffective. To be sure she'd fought opponents with magical shields before but to have no effect at all? This wasn't supposed to happen, even Tannin feared her strikes. Asmodeus wasn't that powerful, she could sense the upper limits of his magical reserves and they were lower than hers which was why it was so confusing as to why her punches weren't doing anything.

They had taken their fight to the sky and Tiamat still couldn't find a way passed that annoying green bubble that Asmodeus protected himself with. It didn't help matters that Tiamat was far more interested in trying to catch glimpses of Issei's fight. He was handling Scale Mail rather well even if he didn't know how to fire energy blasts.

The fact that she hadn't really put her all into the fight combined with her trying to catch as much of Issei's fight with the corner of her eye had given Asmodeus even more ego than he had before. He thought she was weak and scared to attack, truly purebloods could be so foolish.

Asmodeus smirked, "I don't blame you for being confused, I'd expect nothing less from a simple dragon."

Tiamat had had centuries to perfect her poker face and a bit of taunting from a third rate Devil wasn't going to be enough to get under her skin. Still though, he had started a conversation, perhaps she could get him to reveal exactly why her attacks weren't working.

"Please, you couldn't hold a candle to Falbium. He might be a lazy bum but your little barrier is nothing compared to his Absolute Defence."

Annoyance crossed Asmodeus's face, "Bah, that pretender? His aura can be defeated by the other fakes that usurped our positions. My Force Nullification is far superior, all physical force is stopped, no matter how strong. You could drop a mountain on me and nothing would happen!"

Tiamat internally cheered, so that was the secret. All she had to do was attack by non-physical means? This barrier Asmodeus was so proud of was nothing compared to Falbium, not that Asmodeus could see it. Falbium's Absolute Defence also nullified physical force; the only thing that could get passed it was the Power of Destruction.

Tiamat took a deep breath, feeling the air in her lungs mix with her inner magic and being converted into fire. She took it a step further and as she exhaled her signature blue flames, she used her tongue to swirl in her mouth causing the fire to twist into a vortex of flames.

Her fire had always been a source of pride for her, no other dragon she had met could make flames burn hotter than her. She had always been careful to not rely on it in fights though, it wouldn't do to be a one trick pony.

To Asmodeus's credit, he realised he needed to shield with conventional magic but the barrier he summoned just wasn't strong enough. The vortex smashed into Asmodeus with devastating force and he didn't have time to scream before his body was completely torched; he was dead before he hit the ground.

Taking the time to hit the body with another burst of fire to ensure that she wouldn't take an attack in the back, Tiamat made her way towards to injured Kuroka. The old man the Old Satan Faction had mentioned when she arrived was already there, it looked like he was trying to help her but had no idea how to heal wounds.

When she came next to them both Tiamat said, "Is Kuroka going to be okay? I'd hate for her to perish just as I was going to plead her innocence."

The old man looked up from Kuroka and smiled, "She says she'll be fine. When I asked whether I could trust that statement, she made a crack about needing a session of 'healing' with my grandson and she'd be right as rain."

Ignoring the innuendo and knowing it was rude to not look at the person she was talking to Tiamat still couldn't help but look up at Issei's fight; that didn't stop her questions though,

"I don't believe we've met. I'm Tiamat the Chaos Karma Dragon and strongest Dragon King."

That brought a hum of recognition from the man, "Ah so you're the one who Ddraig stole from? Ha-ha, well it's nice to meet you. Name's Garp and I'm Issei's grandpa."

The reminder of Ddraig's actions no longer seemed to hold the same sting they once did. That surprised Tiamat, she had sworn to make Ddraig's life hell for his theft so long ago but now, now hearing Ddraig's name no longer made her angry.

Tiamat looked down at Garp, "Pleased to meet you. I hope you aren't injured, Asmodeus mentioned that he battled you."

Garp laughed, "Please that youngster was a hundred years too early to challenge me! The only reason he's standing is because I fight with my fists and I couldn't break that damn bubble. His attacks couldn't hit me and when he realised that, the coward attacked one of the students who I guess got attacked before we got here."

Anger reached Garp's eyes, he despised hurting the innocent, especially children. "I knew the poor kid couldn't dodge so I took the hit instead; my Armament protected me but that only ticked the guy off. He sent multiple attacks at other kids so I had to race to grab them all and get them to safety."

Garp looked down at Kuroka and grimaced, "It was at that point that your opponent blindsided you and I realised I couldn't keep my Conqueror's Haki back any longer. Just as I was about to smash my way through that damn bubble, Issei appeared. I'm sorry Kuroka, I should've gone all out at the start but accessing my Conqueror's gets harder and harder every year."

Kuroka smiled, "Oh shut up, I don't blame you. I was in the same situation you were, Shalba quickly figured out I was here for Shirone since we both used Senjutsu and targeted her. As I prepared to block the attack, he teleported to my right and I had a choice; defend myself or my sister. I don't regret it so you shouldn't either. Besides, I confess I'm not quite as hurt as Issei thinks. Yes I was knocked out but only briefly but I think it's so romantic how determined he is to avenge my suffering."

Garp's shoulder's sagged in relief and he laughed, "Still, I'm grateful you three turned up when you did. Things looked pretty desperate there."

Tiamat looked thoughtful, "If you used punches than there's no way you could've gotten through Asmodeus's barrier. It nullified all physical attacks."

Garp shrugged, "Haki isn't physical it's will made manifest and the only reason my Armament didn't hit him through the barrier was because he kept a fair bit of space between him and the barrier. It wouldn't have withstood my Conqueror's though, I once used that to _will_ a mountain into breaking."

Tiamat didn't quite believe Garp's words but she had lived long enough to know to give people the chance to prove their claims and not dismiss them out of hand. If Haki could really do all that though, it explained how Issei was so strong even without using Ddraig. She did find it amusing that Garp referred to Asmodeus as a youngster considering that the only people he was older than were the kids and Kuroka.

One more question did occur to her though, "So if you had the power to win why did you relax when Issei arrived?"

Garp's face took on an odd mix of grim determination and pride, "I'm old Tiamat; don't tell Issei but my back has been killing me for a while now. That's one of the reasons why I retired, at some point you've got to leave it to the kids."

xXx

Issei hadn't been this angry before; Garp's lessons about keeping calm in battle had been forgotten. All Issei wanted to do was cause Shalba pain, he had hurt Kuroka! His Kuroka, his girl and nobody did that.

A punch managed to break Shalba's right forearm, a kick cracked his ribs and a headbutt broke Shalba's nose. It wasn't enough though and although a small part of Issei didn't find beating up a weaker opponent sporting he could ignore it. Kuroka had been hurt and he hadn't been around to protect her.

Scale Mail was responding to his anger; intermittent boosts kept his attacks up and any problems with stamina were ignored by the bursts of power.

"**Issei, I know you want to hurt him and I won't tell you to stop but do it quickly. Your body isn't used to Balance Breaker and is being put under intense strain. Using Boost as a substitute for adrenaline will work but cost you in the long run. Get it done and check on Kuroka instead."**

Ddraig's words made sense, enough sense to filter through the red haze that had descended on his mind and Issei managed to calm albeit slightly.

Issei used the jets on his Armor to augment his speed and with a combination of Shave and Moon Walk, managed to get behind Shalba before he could react. Issei grabbed Shalba by the back of his head and flew towards the ground as fast as he could.

A responding boom echoed across the school yard as Shalba's face hit the ground and Issei took a step back. He wasn't done yet but wanted to savour the moment for a bit. It was a decision he would regret since they had landed right next to the dead body of Asmodeus and using the last of his strength, Shalba grasped the corpse with a hand.

A small black snake slithered out of the body and onto Shalba's arm where it bit down and seemed to melt into the fang holes it created. Issei's Observation suddenly got his attention and he jumped away just as a burst of green light lit up Shalba's body.

Before Issei's eyes, the green light healed Shalba's broken bones and wounds, what was going on?

"**I'd wager that snake was the reason for this. I thought I sensed Ophis's energy around here and she must've found a way to lend her power to others for a boost in strength."**

Issei didn't have time to question Ddraig any further because his Observation screamed out and he had to dodge Shalba's fist.

'_He's a lot faster than before. Fine, it was getting boring beating up a weakling anyway.'_

xXx

Katerea Leviathan always knew she was the brains of the Old Satan Faction. Sure she had her pride and her line was a noble one but she valued her life. That wasn't to say that she wouldn't sacrifice herself if it meant helping her comrades build their perfect world but Katerea had to face the facts, Serafall had earned the title of 'Strongest Women in the Underworld.'

Serafall Sitri was too strong for her and the damn women's ice magic too difficult to circumvent. Katerea had always used conventional magic to fight, relying on her superior magical reserves and power born from her pure blood. This meant that she lacked real experience fighting opponents that she couldn't bulldoze at the start and it was coming back to bite her.

Her last ace, Mutual Destruction wouldn't work either, Serafall hadn't allowed any kind of attack near her, using ice and magic to be near untouchable. That didn't mean Katerea would flee though, she wasn't a coward. No what she needed was help, yes that would do it.

Help Shalba crush that upstart Red Dragon Emperor and then he'd help her destroy her pretender. Katerea used her magic to create a blinding flare of light, one that blinded Serafall; who did the smart thing and encased her-self with ice and magic preventing Katerea to take advantage of the situation.

Turning to find Shalba, Katerea saw him slam a kick into the boy's guard and send him skidding backwards. Taking advantage of the slight opening, she rushed to her comrade's side and said, "Shalba, I've run into a problem. Serafall is proving to be more difficult to handle than I thought. Let us crush this boy and kill my pretender."

She was about to say more but Shalba's hand came up and gripped her by the throat.

"Sounds like you let go of your pride Katerea. Cowards like you don't deserve the power given by Ophis; let me take it from you. I'll build our world in my image!"

Horror gripped her and she felt Shalba begin draining her magic, not just the snake but her own reserves as well. She struggled but the process was quick and she no longer had the strength to fight back. She couldn't even take Shalba down with her; she had no magic left.

Feeling herself slip into unconsciousness, her last thoughts were to curse Shalba to die a painful death.

xXx

Issei was sickened; Shalba had drained that women dry, her body now resembling a shrivelled mummy. Was this how Devil's treated their comrades? All that power and longevity and being on the same side counted for nothing?

"**Focus Issei, Shalba's power has gone up again. He was on par with us after the first snake but now he's almost as strong as Tiamat; Ophis must really want their help. You have to let go of your anger and use your head. Let that rage control your actions now and Kuroka will instead be mourning your passing."**

Issei really hated it when Ddraig was right but nonetheless, Issei listened. Invoking Kuroka's name proved to be just the kick he needed to cool off.

'_He might have more power now but I still have Observation. With that he shouldn't be able to touch me, unless he got faster than I with that power up.'_

His thoughts proved to be prophetic and even with the warning Issei couldn't react fast enough to Shalba's punch. Issei got sent flying down into the ground and formed a large crater.

Shalba didn't press his advantage instead opting to hover in the air and smirk down at Issei. Issei's first instinct was get angry at both himself and Shalba but he willed himself to calm down.

Seeing that Shalba was fast enough to blitz his normal Observation Issei knew he needed to use Future Sight and the only way to do that was to focus.

'_Focus Issei. This is serious, I could die. Gramps always said Haki improves while in life or death fights against strong opponents. Time to see if that's true; Gramps is scary but he would never really hurt me. I only got Future Sight to work once in training but it's now or never.'_

Issei had exaggerated his ability to use Future Sight to Kuroka. He hadn't intended to but she was so impressed with the idea that he could see the future that he couldn't stop himself. In truth, Issei had only used Future Sight once and it was only a glimpse at that but that would have to change.

Issei focused everything he had into his Observation, Issei took the fight to Shalba, rocketing up and throwing a punch.

Shalba dodged and blasted him with magic. Scale Mail protected him from the damage but Issei felt his stamina drop. That time it didn't work, no visions of the future.

'_Don't stare too hard searching for it, don't push the future. Let Observation fill your mind and guide your motions.'_

Another punch and nothing. It was getting hard to focus now but Issei kept on going. He _had _to do this, not just for Kuroka but for himself as well. Issei knew this was the next step in growth for him, one that he had to overcome by himself.

A blast of magic hit him in the chest and the armour cracked around the green gem. It wouldn't take another hit. A wild thought struck Issei, it wouldn't take another hit, that was all the motivation he needed.

Issei dropped his guard around his chest, knowing that if he didn't get the next one right than he was dead. Shalba sped towards Issei intending to stab his hand right into Issei's heart. The attack was true and Shalba's hand gripped Issei's heart before ripping it out of his chest.

Issei gasped in shock, that was it! Reacting on what he'd seen Issei swatted the attack to his side taking Shalba completely off guard, so much so that his concentration slipped and the thin magical barrier that had formed over Shalba's skin vanished.

Issei then nailed Shalba in the face with a vicious left cross and he felt a satisfying crunch as he broke Shalba's nose again before Shalba flew back to gain space for himself.

It worked! That last gasp attempt to really unlock Future Sight worked and while it was still hard to do, now that he knew how it felt, Issei knew it would be a lot easier to do again. All it took was to literally put his life on the line.

Shalba ignored his instincts telling him to use more magic and engaged Issei in a fist fight in the air. This was personal; a filthy human dared to stand before him and lay a hand on a pure blood like him? No, that insult would be returned in kind nothing would be more satisfying.

Issei managed to avoid most of the attacks but his Future Sight wasn't perfect and he took several blows to his limbs, thankfully it always kicked in to show him attacks that would break his chest armour.

Ducking under a kick to his head that he managed to foresee Issei placed a finger on Shalba's chest and used a Finger Pistol. His attack landed but this time the magic 'skin' blocked the damage.

'_Right, it's clear I'll need Armament Hardening but can I use it while in Scale Mail? Only one way to find out.' _

Issei thought about it, Ddraig was a part of him. The Boosted Gear was a part of his soul and that meant it should be possible for his Hardening to work on the Boosted gear as well.

Issei used his jets to give himself some space and concentrated. Slowly, the red armour covering his arms darkened with Hardening, ending with those flame-like tips. It was a good thing that Issei had such ease with his Hardening since he still needed to use his Future Sight to make sure that he could avoid Shalba's attacks.

Keeping both Future Sight and Hardening active proved to be rather difficult and Issei took a magical blast to the face and his helmet shattered but Issei ignored the pain and dodged the follow up shot.

Shalba closed the distance once again but Issei saw it all happen before it did and caught Shalba's fist with his hand. Issei then swelled his Conqueror's Haki around himself, Shalba's will was too warped with pride and power to be knocked out but Issei wanted it to have a different effect.

Issei projected his will and desire to hurt Shalba directly at him. Issei wanted to crush Shalba's mind with his own and terror filled Shalba's heart; the fear was enough to paralyse him temporarily.

With his free hand Issei seized Shalba by the chin and brought them face to face, "You die for hurting her."

Issei yanked Shalba's head to the side with all his might and there was a sickening crack, he'd just snapped Shalba's neck.

The reality of his actions hadn't caught up to him yet, the adrenaline had worn off and he was exhausted and in pain. He managed to land next to Kuroka safely before falling to his butt tired beyond belief.

Relief was clear on Kuroka's face but it was tempered slightly. She was no stranger to killing but Issei was a kind soul and taking a life would affect him. She had to be there to comfort him and let him know that her feelings hadn't changed just because of what happened.

She ignored the protests of her pained body and sat up, shuffling next to Issei and wrapped an arm around him,

"Thanks for saving me. I was in trouble and scared that I would lose Shirone just as I found her again."

That managed to get Issei's attention; he looked up into Kuroka's face, "What? You found your sister? Here?"

Kuroka grinned, "Yep, and you should've seen the look on her face when I appeared. It was great!"

Her happiness was infectious and Issei found himself smiling along. "That's awesome! Can I meet her?"

Footsteps made Issei look to the side and he saw Sirzechs walking towards him, followed by a woman with white hair and a teenage girl with red hair, the same shade as Sirzechs himself. Sirzechs stopped nearby,

"First, I'd like to thank you all for helping my sister Rias and her friends from being killed by the Old Satan Faction. I'd like to offer you my hospitality but unfortunately duty calls."

Sirzechs' face looked a little downcast but he soldiered on, "Kuroka, you are a wanted criminal but I'm inclined to hear what you have to say in your defence considering you saved my dear baby sister's life."

Kuroka looked a little apprehensive but met Sirzechs' gaze, "I killed my old master it's true but he was a monster. He experimented on me, curious about Senjutsu. When he didn't get the results he wanted he was going to make my sister his next target. His experiments were basically torture and there was absolutely no way I was going to let that happen."

Sirzechs looked thoughtful and Tiamat chose that moment to cut in, "I've discussed Kuroka's innocence with her, it was just before my initial meeting with Issei and the incident with Diodora started. She gave me her journal which has details about everything she just said. For what it's worth, I believe her."

It seemed that Kuroka turning up and protecting both Rias and Sona from death was generating a lot of good will with both Sirzechs and Serafall. Both agreed to rescind Kuroka's status as a criminal and an official trial would be held at a later date. They technically should've waited for the other Satan's to be present for a vote on the matter but only Ajuka might have a problem there, Falbium would be too lazy to go against the flow.

Rias Gremory stepped forward and bowed her head, "I'd like to thank you all. My friends and I weren't strong enough and you saved our lives. I could go on but I think there is someone here who would like to say hello."

Rias motioned behind her and Issei saw a young girl with white hair step out from Rias shadow. The girl looked lost, happy and regretful all at the same time and didn't look like she would move from that spot.

Kuroka beamed at her sister, it had been so long since she had last seen Shirone but soon Kuroka lost her smile. Her tone became soft and vulnerable,

"Shirone! I'm sorry about leaving you behind. The instant I realised that you would be next I, uh stopped my old master but I didn't have a plan. It was in a room with the other members of his Peerage and they were all just as bad as him. They attacked me and I knew that if I went back to our den I'd lead them straight to you. Leaving you behind was the hardest thing I've ever done but it was either that or risk having them kill you before my eyes."

Kuroka's eyes had swelled with tears by the end of her explanation and she had averted her face to the side in an attempt to hide them which was why she was taken by surprise when Shirone knelt in front of her and proceeded to hug the life out of her.

Issei was happy for them both but decided to give them some space. In the time he'd been sitting he'd managed to regain his breath and managed to get to his feet, though his knees wobbled quite a bit.

He made his way to Garp where he was swept up into a bear hug, "Ise my boy! I'm so proud, you managed to unlock your Future Sight properly! Training was only going to get you so far. And that burst of Conqueror's? Even down here we felt it, keep training your Haki and you'll surpass me in no time!"

Serafall had drifted over as Issei struggled to free himself from Garp's grip, "I have to thank you both. My dear sister was in danger and she was saved with your help, if I can repay you back just let me know! Hey, I know,"

Serafall's face had taken a mischievous look, "Issei, I could add you to my Peerage! You're already so strong for a human and you're the Red Dragon Emperor to boot! I bet you'd have a bunch of magical energy when you turn into a Devil; you could be my Queen!"

Issei coughed, Queen? "Um, it's kind of you Serafall but no thanks. I like being human. Besides, Shalba didn't paint Devils in the most positive light."

Serafall simply shrugged, she hadn't really thought he would accept but she had to ask. She had nearly lost Sona today and it was only due to Issei that she had managed to bypass that magical barrier and help.

True, Kuroka had played a larger part what with being here first and giving Issei the means to teleport but it was Issei who brought Serafall here and it was Issei that she gave the majority of her gratitude to.

Issei might not know it but he'd just earned Serafall's friendship for life, possibly even more. That aura he had released just before killing Shalba had been so…. intoxicating. It hadn't been directed at her so she didn't get the fear that Shalba had, all she got was the feeling of his mind trying to dominate hers and that was something that just didn't happen. Her title of Satan scared off most would be suitors and the other Satan's were either attached or boring. That was partly why she was so enamoured with her sister; Sona didn't care that she was a Satan and it looked like Issei didn't either.

Tiamat had heard Issei's rejection and walked over, "Issei may be human but he's also a dragon Serafall. We have our pride and value our freedom. It's the main reason why I never joined any Peerages."

Serafall cocked her head to the side, "But what about Tannin? He gave up his title of Dragon King."

Tiamat crossed her arms under her breasts, she would've crossed them over her chest like most people but her bust was so generous that it was impractical.

"Tannin wanted to ensure the survival of Dragon kind. He needed land in the Underworld to raise young dragons in a safe place; free from hunters and glory seekers and the only way to get that land was to join a Peerage. He saw his pride as less valuable than saving our people, an act that we all appreciate. He may be a Devil but for his actions, he will be remembered as a great Dragon."

"Oh," Serafall suddenly had a sly smile, "What's this about young dragons? Have you been naughty Tia?"

Issei couldn't believe his eyes when the normally stoic Tiamat got flustered, "What? No, nothing of the sort. Our race is one built on strength and females only, uh, pair with males that are stronger. Since I'm the strongest Dragon King no male could hope to measure up."

Serafall gave Issei a friendly grin, "That's 'dragon-ese' for saying that Tia is the world's oldest virgin."

"Serafall!"

Serafall merely laughed and ran away from a mortified and incensed Tiamat. Issei felt Garp's hand on his shoulder,

"Issei, you'd best be careful around those two; Kuroka might be playful but she isn't anything like them in terms of power. But if you play your cards right my boy, then you might be very lucky, provided Kuroka approves."

Issei was confused, "What are you talking about Gramps?"

Garp laughed so hard tears formed in his eyes. His dear grandson was so oblivious it was hilarious. The way Serafall had eyed him just before and the way Tiamat got so flustered at the mere mention of sex in Issei's presence were big indicators that they were at the very least interested in him but Garp wasn't going to say anything, it was just too funny watching.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: So what did you think? Some people might be angry and how easy Asmodeus and Katerea went down but I doubt anyone are their fans. I also want to point out that Tiamat is hailed as being on par with the Satans and the only thing the Old Satan Faction have going for them is their name. **

**I hope I managed to paint Serafall and Tiamat in a positive light, they're supposed to be friends. It was also pointed out that just giving Issei Future Sight was a little 'easy' considering how hard it is to do in One Piece so I added a little change here. **

**Hope the chapter lived up to the hype, let me know your thoughts.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, I know its been quite a while since the last update. All I'll say is that life gets in the way of my hobbies and even though it might take a while, know that I wont give up on a story.**

**EDIT: Also, shout out to Mirmulniir for pointing out an obvious plot hole that I just didn't even think about. Originally I had Issei comfort Kuroka about Ace's death in One Piece but that cant happen since Garp is there. Big whoops on my part. So I edited it so he comforts her about the ending to Code Geass. No spoilers for that one though, seriously watch Code Geass, its amazing.**

Chapter 8

Sirzechs Lucifer resisted the urge to sigh as he looked at the large pile of paperwork on his desk. Honestly why would anyone want to be a Satan if they knew just how much time you spent behind a desk? All anyone seemed to think as that you were strong and did whatever you wanted. Well in Serafall's case she basically did just that but no one had the guts to call her on it. The last man who had earned her ire had had frostbite applied to his testicles and not even magic could save them.

Sirzechs was almost happy when a magic circle appeared above his desk, anything to delay the paperwork was welcome. That was tested once he heard Azazel's voice come through the magical connection,

"Sirzechs Lucifer, do you mind if we talk for a moment?"

"That's fine Azazel. May I ask why you are calling?"

The circle expanded and Sirzechs saw Azazel's face come into focus, "I'll get right to the point. I'd like to have one of my people placed in Kuoh Academy. My instruments picked up all kinds of weird readings from that location and imagine my surprise when I saw Issei Hyoudou's name as a newly enrolled student there.

"My representative will be instructed to only observe. They won't start hostilities and only act in self-defence. I just want to know what happened there, not to mention that if my suspicions about Hyoudou are correct it would be prudent for me to get a better read on his personality."

Sirzechs didn't let any emotions show on his face but he was intrigued. It seemed Azazel was desperate to know the answers to his questions; enough to call and ask for a favour.

"What a coincidence, Michael called about an hour ago with a similar request. Seeing as I already gave Michael permission it wouldn't be very sporting of me to refuse you now would it? Who would you be sending? I'm sure you already know the importance of some students there."

Azazel rubbed his chin in thought, "Well I had to put my foot down to prevent Vali from going. He also shares my suspicions and very badly wants to meet Hyoudou but in this case it would be a minor member of Grigori. She's a second generation Fallen Angel so she's young, too young to have taken part in any skirmishes over the years. Her name's Raynare and even though she's not very strong she's eager to serve."

Sirzechs felt his thoughts run wild. _'I know Azazel likes to keep an eye on things but how can he be so sure that Issei is the Red Dragon Emperor? Did he already have people in Kuoh during the incident last week? _

'_There's no point refusing Azazel at this point. He clearly wants confirmation on his theory and if I get in the way than he might just send his pet White Dragon Emperor to check things out. I can't let that happen, not now that I owe Issei a debt for saving Rias. Issei is strong but if what I hear about Vali is true than Issei isn't at the level where he could take Vali down, at least not yet.'_

Sirzechs gave Azazel a curt nod, "So long as I have your word that you and yours will keep the peace than I don't have a problem letting a Fallen Angel into Kuoh Academy. I should mention though, with what happened recently the four Satans have decided to boost security there. With members of all three factions there, the chance of aggression increases. I think I'll put in a neutral party to act as peacekeeper."

Azazel gave an appreciative hum, "I don't have a problem with that. Well that's all I wanted to talk about, unless you have anything to say about the current turmoil with the vampire clans? My sources can only say that whoever is stirring them up is a Devil."

Sirzechs allowed himself to frown, it would tell Azazel that he wasn't okay with what was happening and was confused by it but nothing more.

"It's not any of my people, it's a standing order to all Devils stationed on Earth to not interfere without explicit orders. I'd say its most likely Rizevim considering that the rest of the Old Satan Faction are dead. What that man wants with the vampires is anyone's guess but it's almost certainly bad news. If I find out anything more I'll let you know."

Azazel gave a curt nod, "I'll have my people investigate and keep you in the loop. Until next time Sirzechs."

The magical call ended and Sirzechs leaned back in his chair deep in thought, _'This could be fortuitus. The ceasefire is well and good but if the people Michael and Azazel send are able to coexist peacefully with Rias and Sona, it would prove that perhaps we are ready for peace. _

'_All that's left is to choose a peacekeeper. It has to be someone that all sides respect and strong enough to stop a ruckus as soon as one breaks out.'_

A smile crossed Sirzechs face as he thought of the perfect candidate. He used his magic to contact the Chaos Karma Dragon,

"Tiamat, Sirzechs here. Would you mind coming to my office? I have a… job offer for you that I think you'll like."

"Alright, I'll be there soon. I hope it's interesting, I was looking forward to some peace and quiet after resigning as judge of the Rating Games."

The call ended and Sirzechs busied himself by tidying up his desk. He didn't do the paperwork; no he should instead focus on the task at hand but the office of Lucifer should have a tody desk when receiving visitors.

Roughly ten minutes later Tiamat entered his office. She took the proffered seat and looked at Sirzechs expectantly. He leaned forward and steepled his hands, elbows resting on his desk,

"Tiamat, I need someone all three factions respect to act as a peacekeeper. Are you open to doing this?"

She frowned, "What would I be doing exactly?"

"Michael and Azazel both want to know more about Issei Hyoudou. It seems our mutual acquaintance is turning heads across the board and both of them want to install their own people at Kuoh Academy. With members of all three factions there, there is a real possibility of hostilities breaking out. As insurance, I want to place a neutral party to handle disputes and arbitrate between them.

"This task it rather important and you were the first person I thought of. You would be there as a teacher and your main duty would be to stop any fighting before it gets out of hand. If the people there can show us that they can coexist peacefully than there is a good chance we can achieve peace."

Tiamat eyes looked indecisive but said, "I don't know Sirzechs. Dealing with teenagers isn't something I call fun. You said a teacher right? That means I'd also be dealing with the student body and I'm looking to relax. I realise that this is important but surely you can think of someone else who's suitable?"

Sirzechs smiled, "Would it help if I mentioned that since we basically run the school you wouldn't have to worry about the mundane things like paperwork? I can think of some other diplomats who could handle the dispute aspect but this peacekeeper would also have to be strong; seeing how the Old Satan Faction attacked the school. The school is about to become a powder keg and needs a strong protector to ensure it doesn't explode, from within or external factors. It also can't be a Devil since it would be seen as me not trusting Michael and Azazel's word.

"Oh, you would also be near Issei. I remember hearing you tell Serafall that Issei is a dragon, wouldn't you like the chance to train him up? To turn Issei into a dragon that realises Ddraig's potential?"

It was a good argument but Sirzechs noticed a very faint blush on Tiamat's cheeks at the mention of training Issei. Sirzechs recalled times in that past when he'd conversed with Tiamat and he knew she had an impressive poker face. Was she keen on him, so keen that she couldn't control herself? That only worked in Sirzech's favour.

After a few more moments of contemplation Tiamat nodded, "Alright I'll do it. I should warn you that I have no real experience teaching, what would be my position at the Academy?"

"I was thinking Physical Education or PE. It's hands on and you can just have classes play sports and not put too much thought into lessons."

Tiamat got to her feet, "Sounds good. Oh I expect a nice house to live in with the works. A big pool, massive TV and fancy car."

"Can you even drive?"

"Nope but I want one anyway."

Sirzechs chuckled, "Done. It'll all be set up tomorrow. I hope you have fun."

xXx

Issei had barely sat down at his new desk when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket _again. _Getting Kuroka a phone was a mistake in retrospect, she bombarded him with messages about every little thing she was doing, he could only hope that the novelty would wear off soon.

He wondered what it was this time. Had Kuroka managed to forget the difference between a tea spoon and table spoon again? That had produced a rather memorable cake or maybe she was upset about something in the latest anime she was binging. Issei had already had to comfort Kuroka about the ending of Code Geass.

Kuroka quickly realised that she could stream anime directly to her phone and now most of her time was spent in Issei's bed, leaving only for food. It was a good thing he'd set up the wifi on it; Issei shuddered to think what her phone bill would've been otherwise.

Ignoring the message for now, Issei looked around at his new classmates, it was mostly girls but that was to be expected considering that this was the first year Kuoh Academy was co-ed. Before he could stand up and introduce himself to others, two boys came up to his desk.

The one on the left spoke, pushing his glasses back up his nose, "Hey there, I'm Motohama and this is Matsuda. We are admirers of the female form, what's your ideal type of woman?"

Issei blinked at the odd question. Who asked something like that when meeting new people?

"Um, well I guess whatever my girlfriend is."

Matsuda ran a hand over his shaved head, "Oi you have a girlfriend already?! How hot is she?!"

Issei felt some trepidation enter his body. Neither Matsuda or Motohama had bothered keeping their voices down and now the majority of the girls were shooting them dark looks.

"I'd rather keep that information to myself. You guys know this is super weird right? Most people don't just say things like that."

Motohama drew himself to his full height, "Most people are pretenders! We love women and aren't afraid to show it! We're the most honest people in this room."

Matsuda took over, "Right, this world is full of beautiful women and it's our mission to see as much of them as possible!"

Issei shook his head, he needed to end this conversation now before the other students thought he was connected to these two.

"Look, you're creeping everyone out right now. You can say you're honest but right now all we are seeing is two perverts."

A girl's voice spoke up, cutting off Motohama's retort, "He's right you know. No girl is going to trust anything you say now. You should go to your desks before I report you to the teacher."

Issei turned to look at the newcomer, she had a cute face and striking violet eyes. She smiled, "How gross are those two? I'm Raynare, it's nice to meet you."

Issei rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah those two are going to be trouble, I can just tell. Raynare? I hope you don't mind me saying that's an unusual name,"

Raynare smirked, "Not really, I get it all the time. I hope we can be friends, I'm new to the area."

Speaking to Issei privately Ddraig said **"Issei, in case you didn't notice Raynare is a Fallen Angel. I don't think she means you harm but be careful."**

'_Thanks Ddraig. I guess I'll be her friend and hopefully she'll tell me why she's in Devil territory in time.'_

Issei grinned at Raynare, "Hmm, I don't have a problem with that. I can tell you some places around town you might want to check out."

Raynare nodded and looked like she was going to say more but the sound of people coming through the door caught Issei's attention. Two girls walked in; one with short blue hair and the other long chestnut twin tails. As the girls looked around the classroom Issei felt his breath hitch,

"Irina!?"

The girl looked in his direction and Issei had his answer. He was smart enough to keep himself moving at human speeds but dashed over to his childhood friend.

By this point Irina had recognised Issei and squealed in excitement, hugging the life out of him.

"Issei! It's been too long! How have you been? How's Garp?!"

Managing to extract himself from Irina, Issei gave her a blinding grin, "Gramps is great! God it's good to you again!"

Irina took a deep breath about to launch into a long, intricate explanation about what she had been up to this whole time sparing no details but the arrival of the teacher made her pause; something which Issei was grateful for. Irina was great but in a situation like this Issei could see her losing her head and blurting out all kinds of things like the existence of haki and the truth about Garp.

Issei made his way back to his seat avoiding the angry gazes of Matsuda and Motohama, catching up with Irina would have to wait until lunch.

xXx

Rias Gremory stalked down the school's corridors with determined eyes. Issei Hyoudou was the Red Dragon Emperor and would be the perfect piece to free herself from Riser Phenex but she needed to be on his good side before broaching the subject of joining her peerage.

No, it would be far better to become Issei's friend before asking about that.

'_Wait, if what Issei said to Serafall was true than he won't want to be a Devil. What do I do?'_

A problem to be tackled at a later time, she still needed to see Issei, true she had already thanked him for saving her but was there a limit to something like that?

Rias wasn't accompanied by any of her servants, this was something she wanted to alone, and besides reminding Issei about the peerage system might be counter intuitive. Her plans to ingratiate herself with Issei ground to a halt when she finally found him in the courtyard sitting under a tree surrounded by three girls.

As she got a little closer Rias felt a little apprehension, she could sense a mix of holy energy and Fallen magic; just who was Issei sitting with? When she got within speaking range Issei looked up,

"Oh hello Rias have you met my new friends? This is Raynare and Xenovia." Issei indicated the girls before gesturing to the one on his immediate right,

"I was childhood friends with Irina and we were just catching up."

Issei turned back to Irina, "So you were just about to say what you got up to in England?"

Rias looked on with curiosity as Irina appeared slightly apprehensive, "Um, well it was mostly just school. I kept up with Garp's training though, perhaps I can tell you more when I see him again?"

Rias mentally frowned, _'It's clear she wants to tell Issei something but it keeping it back. Is it due to my presence here? Can Irina sense that I'm a Devil?'_

Rias was pulled from her thoughts when Issei wrote what looked to be gibberish on a piece of paper and handed it to Irina. Irina studied it for a moment before she looked at Issei seriously and gave a single nod.

Issei sighed, "Okay everyone here knows about the supernatural so let's be a little more candid. Irina, I know all about the three Biblical Factions and the truth of Rias and Raynare's origins. So let's catch up properly eh?"

Irina took a deep breath, "Alright, Issei I guess I should tell you that Xenovia and I are Exorcists for the Church. We were told to come to this school to investigate the incident that happened here last week."

Raynare cut in, "That's also why I'm here. Azazel is quite interested in what happened."

Rias fidgeted slightly when Issei turned his gaze onto her, she didn't really want to go into specifics; it was embarrassing how easily she had been defeated. When she didn't speak right away Issei shrugged and said,

"Well to make a long story short, the Old Satan Faction attacked this school with the intention of killing Rias here and Sona Sitri. My girlfriend Kuroka bypassed the barrier and managed to stall them long enough for me to arrive with Serafall and Tiamat. We managed to overpower the Old Satan Faction and luckily the only lives lost were the aggressors."

Both Xenovia and Raynare adopted thoughtful expressions but to Rias' amusement Irina looked a little miffed. Just as Irina looked ready to bombard Issei with questions, which would most likely be about Kuroka, Issei got to his feet.

"Sorry ladies, I'll be right back. Gotta go to the restroom. Why don't you get to know each other?"

Rias turned back to the group after watching Issei walk away, the air rapidly filing with tension. What did one say in a situation like this? Rias had been raised to be wary of the Fallen and she was instinctively afraid of her natural weakness, Holy Light. Rias liked to think she was a kind person in general but nothing had prepared her for this moment.

For the first time since seeing Issei, Rias wanted Akeno with her. There was a chance that things could get messy and Rias would've liked the reassurance

Xenovia looked at Irina with a confused look, "Issei said he had a girlfriend. What are you going to do about that?"

Rias supressed a smile as Irina's face turned red but Raynare didn't bother hiding her chortles. The cluelessness of Xenovia's question eased the tension and for just a second, Rias forgot about the factions and agendas, the four of them were just girls in high school.

xXx

Issei paused at the doors that lead back into the school. He turned his head slightly, looking at the presence that had gotten his attention.

"What are you doing here Jeanne? I hope it's a good reason otherwise the Devils here won't take kindly to your trespassing."

Jeanne stepped out of the shadows with her hands in the air and to his surprise she was wearing a Kuoh Academy uniform.

"Relax Issei I'm only here to tell you that Cao Cao really wants to meet you."

"Why?"

Jeanne took a step closer and a smile broke out on her face, "Well you proved to everyone that a human can be strong enough to beat a high class Devil in a fight. Cao Cao formed the Hero Faction to help humans in the supernatural world and he needs strong people with him. He wants to at least have the chance to talk to you."

Issei blinked and ran a hand through his hair, "Wait you know about that?"

Jeanne giggled, "Issei anyone with even the slightest supernatural leanings saw Diodora's trial and execution. Let me tell you that you've turned heads everywhere."

Issei sighed, "And what if I don't want to meet him?"

The smile faded from Jeanne's face and she got a little serious. "I've been told to be _persuasive _but if you still refuse than Cao Cao will just come here. The Grigori is an interesting place and if you know the right people to bribe, you can learn all kinds of things. Cao Cao isn't going to pass up on the chance to recruit the Red Dragon Emperor. Is a simple conversation really too much?"

'_Ddraig what do you think about all this?'_

"**Jeanne has a point. My power has been coveted for centuries and no leader would pass up the opportunity to recruit my host. I suggest you say yes but choose a time that works for you but make sure you have one of Kuroka's senjutsu teleportation seals just in case."**

Issei returned his gaze to Jeanne's, "Okay but I can't just up and go meet him. There are people who I need to inform that I'll be out of town otherwise they'll make a ruckus. Not to mention that I'm friends with the Devils here and they will notice I'm gone. I'll let you know when I'm free."

Jeanne actually jumped on the spot in joy, "Oh yes! That's great news, I'll let Cao Cao know. Here, I'll give you my number so you can tell me when you're ready."

Once that was done Jeanne skipped away humming a merry tune, neither of them noticed Sona Sitri watching them from a window on the second floor.

xXx

Serafall was bored. As the Satan in charge of Foreign Affairs she really didn't have all that much to do now that Diodora's trial was over and the shooting for the newest season of Miracle Levia-tan was over. She didn't have anything she needed to do and a bored Serafall was usually a sign that Sirzechs was about to develop a headache.

'_Maybe I'll go pay Tiamat a visit? See how she likes teaching teenagers? Knowing her, the boys there will be ogling her something fierce but she wont notice since she has no experience with that. Plus I might get to see Sona and Issei!'_

Her mind made up Serafall got up from behind her desk preparing to teleport to Kuoh but before she could leave Sirzechs contacted her.

"Serafall, grave news. Seekvaira Agares and her entire Peerage have been kidnapped. No one knows how or why and the only thing Ajuka can tell me is that the person responsible wasn't a Devil. Considering how close this happened to the attack on our sisters makes me think it may be related.

"I'm still at the Agares manor looking for clues and I need you to summon the remaining clan heads and inform them of this. I had hoped that peace was around the corner but if a none Devil managed to steal away an heir than war might be on the horizon. We don't know enough; we can't afford to jump to conclusions but unfortunately we're going to have to keep an eye on the other factions for now."

Anger blazed in Serafall's eyes, "I need to tell Sona right away! The other clans can wait!"

Sirzechs anger matched Serafalls, "You think I don't want to drop everything and make sure Rias is okay?! If I was Sirzechs Gremory I'd already be there but as Lucifer I can't. We both swore an oath to serve our people to the best of our ability. That means duty comes first right now.; you can't let your personal feelings interfere. For once you have to do your job!"

Serafall blinked, Sirzechs didn't usually raise his voice and he generally had great patience for her antics. She still wanted to go to Sona's side but Sirzechs words made her pause.

Serafall grit her teeth, "Alright I'll do my duty Sirzechs. It's a good thing you put Tiamat there though otherwise I wouldn't be listening to you."

A brief moment of levity crossed Sirzechs face. "True, not to mention that your new obsession Issei is there to help as well."

In spite of the dire nature of the situation Serafall managed to get embarrassed. "Shut up, I've got a job to do."

Serafall closed the connection in a huff. She had to get the clan heads together and give them the news. It all promised to be boring work but for once Serafall knew she couldn't skive off it.

'_Besides, Tiamat and Issei should be more than enough to protect Sona and Rias. Not to mention Kuroka is there to, I must remember to contact her later.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Alright, this chapter was a little slower, it was all about setting up the plot for further development but hopefully readers liked it. I added a bunch of fluff as entertainment.**

**What do you think now? I know some people felt that Issei was too involved with the Devil faction but that was mainly due to Diodora. Now that all that business is over Issei has no real reason to interact with the Devils. He's back to being a human and trying to live his life.**

**However the Red Dragon Emperor is a hot commodity and everyone who is anyone wants to either be in Issei's good graces or have his allegiance. What do you think of Cao Cao making a move earlier in the story? **

**Did you like the fact that Rizevim featured? **

**Let me know what you thought.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Yeah I know it's been a while. Not much I can say here but I hope you guys enjoy it. For my readers here who might also be reading my Naruto story, don't worry it's not abandoned I just kinda hit writers block on it. My beta recommended I write some other things and maybe inspiration will strike.**

Chapter 9

Kuroka looked down on Issei's sleeping face fondly, honestly he was so good for her. Just last night she had had to spend an inordinate amount of time convincing him that supernatural creatures were fundamentally different to humans. That it was natural for harems to form for both genders and that Kuroka was completely fine with Issei getting more girls in his bed.

'_He's an idiot but he's my idiot.'_

Still, that conversation hadn't covered the main thing she wanted to talk about. Kuroka knew Issei was perfectly happy staying human and she loved him too much to try and manipulate him into becoming a Devil just so she could spend more time with him. No the thing she wanted to talk about was children, as a Nekoshou she was going to have a Nekoshou daughter; it was just the way it was and that meant that Kuroka would have a daughter to spend centuries with to remind her of Issei.

The only problem was if Issei was ready for kids, he was in high school and Kuroka knew humans tended to wait until their twenties before seriously trying. Issei stirred before blinking and seeing Kuroka looking down at him,

"Why so serious? Unless my memory is wrong I did manage to get you to seven orgasms before you drifted off."

Kuroka fiddled with the blanket, "Issei what are your thoughts on children?"

With that question the last vestiges of sleep left his face and Issei sat up, "Why? I know you want kids and I'm happy to start a family with you. We've talked about it before."

She kept fiddling with her hands, not meeting his eyes, "It's just its hard for supernatural people to conceive and it could be a few years before we're successful. I just wanted to get as early a start on it as possible."

Issei scratched his head, "Honestly I don't know; the human side of me thinks its way too early but I know you're worried about something. I know you'll be a great mum though so if you want to start seriously trying than I'm on board. Not sure what else we can do though; I don't wear condoms and never pull out."

Kuroka smiled, trust Issei to notice she was worried even if he didn't know the reasons. She ran a hand through his hair, "Well I can use senjutsu on my womb to increase my fertility as well as making it a uh 'easier path' for your swimmers."

Issei wrapped his arms around her, "Than I guess we're going to have a baby pretty soon; we're doing it enough."

Kuroka returned the hug fiercely, damn did she love this man. She forced the part of her mind that was whispering poisonous thoughts about Issei's mortality to one side; she loved Issei and was going value every second of time with him.

xXx

Cao Cao wasn't sure what to expect when Jeanne told everyone that the Red Dragon Emperor would be meeting them but a teenage boy accompanied by his grandfather wasn't it. Oh to be sure he knew what Hyoudou looked like thanks to Diodora's trial but Cao Cao hadn't expected Hyoudou to, well, act his age.

Issei Hyoudou didn't appear to have any ambition other than protecting his loved ones; an admirable goal but so… pedestrian.

Cao Cao cleared his throat, "I admire your morals Hyoudou but don't you think you were meant for more than that? The Hero Faction wants to prove that humanity is just as capable as the supernatural and Jeanne tells me that you don't wish to get involved with that side of things. That mindset is one we all share here, we are closer to you than any Devil or Angel, Fallen or otherwise."

Hyoudou scratched the back of his head, "Well I'm still a bit lost. I know you want to prove the strength of humanity but Jeanne wasn't too clear about your other goals. Maybe you can tell me?"

Cao Cao smiled, "Well it's simple, the God of the Bible gave humanity Sacred Gears; they were supposed to be our equaliser against the supernatural but all that happened is the three factions started plucking our best and brightest for their own ranks.

"It's clear to me that the supernatural are the enemies of mankind and the Hero Faction will defend our people by taking the fight to everyone who thinks they own us just because they happen to have wings!"

Hyoudou nodded before a confused look crossed his face, "Wait that's it? You're just going to fight the three factions? What about the people who don't want to fight? Will you help them or will you make them fight anyway?"

Cao Cao shrugged, "I only want what's best for the people who follow me and in the supernatural world strength is respected so I plan to make them stronger. I can't help every human in the world with a Sacred Gear, there are too many of them and I don't have the resources which is another reason why I want to take the fight to the supernatural; if I can keep their attention on me than they have less time to hunt down more humans to turn into slaves."

Hyoudou shook his head slowly, "I can see your point but if they can't beat you then they will look for people who can which directly leads to the other factions looking for more Sacred Gear users. Anyway, can't you see that all your doing is leading the others into a fight you won't win, there are just too many strong fighters in all three factions to win and your people will either die or get captured and have their Gears extracted.

"You want to help humanity right? I don't think continually fighting is the answer here."

Cao Cao blinked; he could see where Hyoudou was coming from but being defensive wasn't an option. Not fighting was the fastest way to lose a fight and Cao Cao knew that at some point the factions would envy the Hero Faction's power, they would take away the only thing he could call family and Cao Cao would be dead before that happened!

Cao Cao could feel annoyance forming but he kept his voice calm, "I guess we'll have to continue that discussion later; I think we both have thoughts on the matter. However I guess I'll get right to it and formally invite you to our faction. What do you say?"

Hyoudou looked at his grandfather, who shrugged, before turning back to face Cao Cao, "I think you should think about your goals more. Endless fighting isn't living it's just existing. Jeanne told me a little bit about all of you, not a lot but I guess sitting back and simply enjoying life isn't something many of you have done right?

"Maybe if you can find a real purpose for the Hero Faction to strive towards I'll join but until than I have to say no, sorry."

Cao Cao had guessed that would be his answer but he didn't worry. Any second now Heracles would lose his cool and challenge Hyoudou to a fight; it would give Cao Cao a chance to analyse Hyoudou's powers before he challenged Hyoudou to a fight afterwards. Was it fair to fight someone who had just fought? Not really but Cao Cao needed the Red Dragon Emperor on his side and if it came to force then so be it.

That exact series of events unfolded and it was clear that Cao Cao's theory that Heracles wouldn't be much a hurdle for Hyoudou to handle proved to be true. Cao Cao didn't know how but Hyoudou appeared to have an ability to make his body extremely durable; he didn't even bother dodging or blocking Heracles' blows, they just bounced off without effect.

Cao Cao resisted the urge to face palm as Heracles threw caution to the wind and explicitly told Hyoudou how his Sacred Gear: Variant Detonation worked. Explaining things like that was never a good idea and that was illustrated perfectly by Hyoudou now dodging Heracles' attacks with perfect precision, knowing that so much as a touch would result in damage.

Cao Cao could see Heracles getting angrier and angrier and decided to step in before he activated his Balance Breaker,

"Enough! Heracles stand down. Now it seems that Hyoudou wasn't quite pushing himself in that little scuffle but perhaps I can push him into breaking a sweat? What do you say Hyoudou, a friendly spar between you and I?"

Cao Cao smiled as he saw Hyoudou nod before Cao Cao summoned his Sacred Gear.

xXx

"**Issei, that spear he just materialised is the True Longinus. It's the strongest Sacred Gear, capable of killing Gods; that's the spear that was used to kill Jesus Christ."**

'_So what does it do? Buff his speed and strength? Make his attacks more powerful?'_

"**If my memory is accurate it can fire energy blasts and shield the user from attacks. It's the one the holiest relics around so it's lethal to basically all unholy beings like Devils and vampires. It also acts a little like the Power Pole from that anime Kuroka likes. Let's hope he won't or can't use Balance Breaker otherwise you'll be very hard pressed."**

Issei's Observation alerted him to dodge a thrust from Cao Cao's spear and Issei quickly realised that this would be a lot harder than his tussle with Heracles. Not taking any chances, Issei coated his arms with Hardening while lighting his body up with touki before he charged Cao Cao with a punch.

Seeing Cao Cao raise his spear up in preparation to block, Issei chose to lock his arm up with Iron Body, giving his blow more weight and power. Cao Cao clearly hadn't expected the huge amount of force behind the punch and skidded backwards several meters before he could arrest his momentum; Cao Cao learned from the punch though, not trying to block another hit out right since he knew that Issei could physically over power his defences.

As the fight continued, Issei's Observation was the only thing that enabled him to fight on par with Cao Cao. True Cao Cao didn't have the physical strength of Shalba Beelzebub since he was human but Cao Cao didn't waste energy or movement. Cao Cao's focus was intense and with the way he was almost always able to keep his Spear's point aimed at him, Issei quickly realised that Cao Cao was the toughest fight he'd had so far.

Deciding to kick it up a notch, Issei summoned his Boosted Gauntlet; boosting himself an instant later. It was a funny thing to realise so late in his training but Issei had only just made the connection that Boosting also increased the power of his Haki; using so many Boosts while using Scale Mail was probably why he had unlocked his Future Sight so early into his learning Observation.

With just one Boost, his Observation wasn't anywhere near the level of Future Sight but it did sharpen it somewhat; Issei's visual perception got sharper and in his eyes, it almost seemed as if Cao Cao had slowed down a bit.

After a flurry of blows Cao Cao grinned, "It's been a while since I've had this much fun. Let me get a bit more serious."

Nothing really changed, Cao Cao didn't use magic or activate Balance Breaker, no all that happened was a determined glint appeared in his eyes and Issei quickly realised that he'd have to step up his game or lose; a Cao Cao who was actively trying to win was far more dangerous than Shalba.

Issei grit his teeth and activated his Balance Breaker: Scale Mail before charging Cao Cao. At the last possible second he used Shave to appear behind Cao Cao and punched at Cao Cao's back however using a speed Issei didn't know Cao Cao had, he swung his Spear in a circle, deflecting the blow.

In spite of his Observation alerting him to Cao Cao's retaliatory strike Issei was unable to completely avoid the Spear; thankfully it was the butt that made contact with his chest armour.

Cao Cao than leapt backwards giving himself some space, "I think we should probably stop here. It's too hard to fight at this level while holding back; neither of us wants to seriously hurt to other. But, I am curious to see the limits you have. What do you say, shall we collide our attacks and see who wins?"

Issei ignored Ddraig's warnings and grinned, "One final test? Fine by me."

Issei channelled his Armament into his armoured arms before coating his Scale Mail in touki. He positioned his arms in front of his chest, one above the other with palms facing before clenching his fists. Issei smiled,

"Ah, this attack is on where you'll have to come to me I'm afraid."

Cao Cao smirked and lunged forward with a thrust. Timing it just before the Spear made contact Issei cried out, "Rokuogan!"

A bright light filled the abandoned warehouse the Hero Faction had temporarily taken over. Issei could almost feel the Spear edging its way through his attack.

'_Rokuogan is my best attack! With the Boosting from Scale Mail and increasing its power with touki, I would've beaten Shalba with just one hit and Cao Cao is meeting it? How strong is the True Longinus?'_

Issei refused to lose this contest and focused his thoughts on being unyielding and strong. Unbeknownst to Issei, a small amount of Conqueror's leaked out and hit Cao Cao.

The light faded and the Hero Faction gasped at what they saw; neither attack had gone through, it was a stalemate. That had never happened before, at least to their knowledge; when Cao Cao wanted to hit something he did.

Cao Cao smirked, "Well it seems like I was right; your strength is truly impressive. Your earlier arguments have some merit, I shall think on them and have Jeanne get back to you with my answer. Until next time, Red Dragon Emperor."

Issei chuckled, "Yeah it was fun. I gotta improve my training though. See ya later."

xXx

Kuroka hadn't known what to expect when Shirone had invited her to meet Gremory's other peerage members but this wasn't it. For some reason, the two church girls and Fallen Angel were in the club house and they were all having a calm but heated discussion.

Irina continued to frown at the room in general, "No, I can't let any of you corrupt Issei further! One Devil in his bed is bad enough! Oh Lord, give me the strength to protect my friend's soul from these heathens!"

Gremory's Queen giggled, "Ara Ara, you can't blame us. The supernatural are attracted to power and Issei's strength is so…. Tempting."

The other Fallen, ah what was her name, Raymond? No that was a guy's name, spoke up, "Please, Issei has already sampled a Devil and if you ask me he's ready for experimentation. Besides, Fallen are beings of Sin, primarily Lust."

Blue Church girl spoke up, "No, Issei is a noble soul. I'm sure we can satisfy his needs and have him serve Heaven, so stay away from him Raynare. Issei would make a fine husband I think."

Ah that's right, it was Raynare, oops. Kuroka laughed softly and gained the attention of everyone in the room.

She smirked, "You should know I've already had a similar discussion with Issei. At first he clung to his human ideal of monogamy but once he understood that biologically, the supernatural are completely fine with multiple spouses he was on board. However, as his first lover I get the most control over who gets to join his harem and it's simple; there's only one requirement."

Kuroka trailed off and laughed again seeing their reactions; Irina looked somewhere between happy and annoyed, the Two Fallen looked intrigued, Shirone was plain annoyed and the only boy looked uncomfortable but he had looked that way ever since Issei became the topic of conversation. The best and most interesting one though, had to be Gremory herself; her face was a mixture of hope, resignation and determination.

As the lull in the conversation grew Gremory got impatient, "Well, don't just leave us hanging like that! What's the requirement!?"

Kuroka grinned, "Well, the girl has to be able to beat me in a fight. It could just be my inner cat but I love the idea of a women who could kick my butt needing my permission to get her hands on Issei."

Kuroka leaned back in the couch and smiled, oh this was too much fun. Irina had gotten a determined glint in her eyes. 'O_h she might be able to in a year or two of training.'_ Kuroka still had no counter to Observation and she also knew that Irina was only now learning Armament and the other Powers that Garp hadn't had time to teach Irina in the past.

The Fallen had thoughtful expressions but Kuroka's focus was on Gremory's face; the redhead's expression had dropped, as if receiving bad news. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

'_Did she want to be in Issei's harem that badly? She barely knows him.'_

"Hey Gremory, why the long face?"

Gremory blinked and looked at Kuroka, "Well I thought about being one of Issei's girls; maybe by sleeping with him I could convince him to join my Peerage. Not that it matters now, I cant beat you in a fight, I can't even beat…"

Gremory trailed off and Kuroka narrowed her eyes, "Can't beat who? Why is Issei being in your Peerage so important?"

Gremory shrugged half-heartedly, "It's complicated but basically in the future I'm going to be a Rating Game and my freedom will be at stake. That's why I wanted Issei, he's so strong, victory would be almost assured."

Kuroka looked thoughtful, "Your freedom huh? So apart from looking for strong people to recruit what else have to done to prepare for this Rating Game?"

Gremory got an embarrassed look and shuffled her feet, not answering. It was Shirone who answered, "Not a lot to be honest. Sorry President but it's true, you haven't seriously trained in a while, all you really do is complain about Riser."

Kuroka snorted, "So why would anyone, not just Issei, want to join you? You say this Rating Game is important but do nothing about it. How typical of the Pure blood high class. If you had thrown yourself into training yourself and your servants than surely that's better than hoping my boyfriend will take pity on you."

Shirone sat down next to Kuroka, "It's not like that. President just wants what's best for us; we're as close to her as family."

Kuroka sighed in muted frustration, "Fine but Shirone, it's time you learn how to properly use senjutsu. Gremory, I hope you get off your arse and do actually do something about this Rating Game."

xXx

Vali grunted as he destroyed another training dummy. He was getting more frustrated by the day with Azazel's order for him to stay at the Grigori. His rival was out there and was strong enough to slay Shalba Beelzebub! According to the instruments in Azazel's lab, Shalba had managed to gain power equivalent to an Ultimate Class Devil and his rival beat him with just his Balance Breaker! Vali was practically salivating at the thought of how strong Hyoudou's Juggernaut Drive would be.

No, Vali needed to get out. His movements had never been restricted like this. It was time to go scout out his rival with his own eyes and no one was going to stop him, he was the strongest White Dragon Emperor and he bowed to no one!

As Vali flew through the sky above Japan he was forced to stop when a young Gothic girl appeared directly in front of him.

"Albion, you can't kill Ddraig. He, is going to get stronger and then he will help me obtain silence."

Vali scowled, "Ophis, you do realise it is our destiny to fight, to die at each other's hands?"

"What you do after I get silence is your business. Remember what I said otherwise Crom will deal with you."

"You think that will stop me? True I lost my last bout with Crom but I got even stronger because of it. I welcome the chance to fight an opponent of his calibre."

Ophis tilted her head to one side in thought, "What do you want so that you don't kill Ddraig until I've gotten my silence?"

Vali grinned, "A fight with my rival, don't worry I won't kill him but I have to fight him now so I can tell where he stands. If I'm stronger than him currently than my beating him will cause him to train even harder to close the gap. This also helps you since a stronger Red Dragon Emperor is a bigger threat to Great Red."

Ophis blinked for nodding once, "That is acceptable. Remember, don't kill Ddraig."

xXx

Tiamat sat in her office playing Pokémon; she was obviously a Dragon type specialist but was currently raging against whoever decided that Fairy's were a Dragon's weakness.

"This is so stupid! I would burn any Fairy I fought into ashes! This game is broken!"

The student president Sona Sitri looked at her 'teacher' in annoyance, "Tiamat please keep your voice down. I'm currently doing the paperwork that you are supposed to finish."

Tiamat dropped her game on to her desk, waving away Sona's words, "Eh, blame Sirzechs. He said I wouldn't have to worry about that stuff so I'm not. Stop trying so hard, the Devils run this place right? Relax, you should be more like Sera."

Sona twitched in annoyance, "My sister could stand to remember her responsibilities once in a while. She's far too flippant in my opinion."

Tiamat sighed as she leaned back in her chair, "You do know why she's like that right? You were born long after the Civil War finished but Serafall fought on the front lines for basically the entire conflict. The bodies she's buried, the amount of blood she's spilled, it leaves it's mark on a person. Is it so strange to think that a show about a magical girl who uses friendship to win fights without killing would appeal to her? Every Satan has their coping mechanisms but you never connected the dots.

"Add the fact that she's the strongest women in Devil society and there is a gulf between Sera and everyone else. Men are too scared of her and women are jealous of her power and beauty. Why do you think she's so attached to you? Sure a small part of it might actually be attraction, you are beautiful but its mostly because you accept her unconditionally. So before you blow off Serafall's antics again, just try to see things from her perspective."

Sona sat in shock; how could she have been so blind? Sona had always thought herself to be an intelligent person but not once had she ever tried to understand why Serafall acted the way she did. No, all Sona had done was get frustrated at her older sister's immaturity.

Sona took a breath to gather her thoughts, "Thank you for being so honest with me. I guess with her being in my life from the start I never thought to question what she was like earlier. I think I'll go give her call."

Tiamat smiled as Sona left the office before picking up her game. _'Now lets smite some puny Fairies! And can someone tell me why Ice is a weakness? We breathe fire!'_

xXx

Issei was walking to school accompanied by Irina and Xenovia. He turned to Irina and said, "Oh I forgot to ask, do you know how Diodora's former Peerage are? They all deserve some happiness now."

Xenovia nodded, "Some of the girls had lost their faith in our Lord and once free from Diodora's control struck out on their own. It's my understanding that those girls were given ample monetary compensation from the Astaroth family.

"The remaining girls were still faithful and taken to Heaven for counselling and a peaceful life. The nun you saved, Asia Argento, is there helping as much as she can. I believe some higher ups in the church objected but Michael put his foot down. He said the girls had suffered enough and deserved to see paradise."

Issei nodded, "That's good but how did you know the specifics? Surely you're not privy to those kinds of details?"

Xenovia smiled, "That's true but my teacher, Griselda Quarta, is the second strongest Exorcist and personally escorted the former Peerage to Heaven. She told me in private and I have to agree with Michael."

Issei turned to his right to face Irina, "And how's your training with Gramps? I bet you wish he had started Armament before you left for London."

Irina pouted, "It's so unfair, you have years of practise with not just Armament but Tempest Kick and Finger Pistol to! How am I expected to catch up now? And I'm not a Conqueror either!"

Issei smirked and was about to tease her when someone stopped in front of him on the sidewalk; it was a teen with silver hair and a hungry look on his face.

"Issei Hyoudou, Red Dragon Emperor my name is Vali and I'm the White Dragon Emperor. Come my rival it is time for us to fight!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: So a lot happened this chapter. What did you guys think? Next chapter should be interesting considering it will kick off with Vali vs Issei. Who do you think is going to come out on top of that one?**

**How is the characterization going? I'm trying to keep everyone the way they are in canon but considering I haven't read the Light novels, I don't have a clue as to Tiamat's personality. All I can go on there is what the wiki tells me about her. **

**Let me know your thoughts,**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


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